Summer Love
by BritishObsessed
Summary: Olivia has always played it safe and by the rules, for the most part, in every area of her life because that's what was expected of her as the daughter of a mayor, but when a bad boy named Fitz is forced to spend the next three months in her town after one too many troublesome incidents, they'll both be in for the summer of their lives…Just a fun summer Olitz fic.
1. Undesirable Circumstances

**So, I know that I have other stories to update but I just had to write this because the idea's been bugging me for a while. So here we go!**

**Chapter 1: Undesirable Circumstances**

_I can't wait to fall in love with you_

_You can't wait to fall in love with me_

_This just can't be summer love_

_You'll see_

_This just can't be summer love_

_—Summer Love by Justin Timberlake_

As Fitz cruises down the highway to his destination in the early afternoon with his shades on, his arm hanging out the window, and the music blaring, he can't help but smirk and even feel a little proud at the stunt that he and his friends pulled that ultimately got him into the position he was in right now. They had hijacked their principal's Prius and driven it inside of the school but instead of stopping there, they had filled the entire car with a swarm of bees. It had been difficult to pull off and Fitz had gotten into more trouble than ever before but in his mind it had been totally worth it to see the priceless angry and shocked look on his principal's face. Once it was figured out who committed the act, Fitz was taken into questioning and had to pay a fine of five hundred dollars, which came straight out of his father's pocket and it would be an understatement to say that Big Gerry was not pleased.

Fitz had gotten off easy but not easy enough because two days after he finished school, his father told him that he'd be spending the summer with his aunt in Florida, because he was tired of having to save Fitz's ass after he did "something stupid with his cronies". So, he was being sent off to live with an aunt he hardly remembered in hopes that she could straighten him out but deep down Fitz knew his father just didn't want to have anything to do with him. Fitz understood that and he didn't care, since he knew that he's been trouble since he was a little boy and could be hard to live with so he didn't blame his father—he didn't know who to blame, really. Maybe even if he had grown up with a mother he wouldn't have turned out different, but his anger wasn't lessened by being forced to do this. He would just have to hold on until August when he would finally turn eighteen and be able to do whatever he wanted.

As he nears the town and looks out at the ocean, he imagines how it will be to live in a beach town. He had lived in New Jersey his whole life and while he had only lived an hour or so away from the closest beach, he had only been a few times since as a kid his father wasn't big on them doing things together and as Fitz grew older he was too busy getting into trouble with his friends to hang out at the ocean. He just hoped that he could at least have a little fun under his aunt's strict watch.

He has to drive an additional ten minutes after passing a sign that read "Welcome to Playa Verde" and indicated that the town has a population of 7,000. He passes a slew of tiny shops before making it to the residential areas where the houses seemed to gradually decrease in quality, going from average suburban two stories to age-ridden cottage-like one stories. He turns into a neighborhood of varying houses, searching for the address number of his aunt's place. He finally finds the house and admits that even though it was one of the lesser quality homes, it's not bad at all and looks a lot better than the crappy apartment he shared with his dad in Newark.

He pulls into the driveway and gets out of the car then gets his bags from the backseat. He ambles to the door and rings the bell but when no one comes after he waits for a few seconds, he gets annoyed and begins to obnoxiously knock on the door.

"Where's the fire? Sheesh!" He hears from inside right before the door swings open and a middle-aged woman with graying, stringy hair and sun-kissed skin stands before him, looking back at him with a pleasant smile and a shocked gaze. He figured this was his aunt Nancy.

"Wow, you sure have grown from the tiny five year old you were when we last saw each other. You look so much like your father."

He rolls his eyes at this, that last statement being the last thing he wanted to hear. "Can I please come in?" He asks, with a sigh. She steps aside, letting him into the small house.

"So, where's my room?" He says, wanting to just plug in some earbuds and crash after a long day of driving.

"Wow, not even a 'hello'," she says.

"I'm tired…" Fitz grumbles.

"Yeah, you kids are always tired," she says as she closes the door. She turns to face him. "I know you really don't want to have anything to do with me and you're angry that you're being forced to stay here but you're here for almost the next three months so you might as well make the most of it. You can do whatever you want but I just have a few basic rules: don't bring any negative attention to this house by doing anything nefarious or illegal. Also, when you go out, be back here at a decent hour. I'm a light sleeper and I would hate to accidently put a bullet in you at three in the morning when I'm half-conscious, thinking you're a burglar. Also, I don't want you lazing around here all day, eating my food and making the place dirty so you need to find a job."

Fitz makes a face at this, prompting Nancy to say, "It's not like I'm asking you to pay the rent. It's honestly a win-win situation. I know that you're being kept busy with something constructive and you make some extra money."

"Whatever," Fitz mumbles.

"And lastly, you're pretty handsome kid and I think you know that, too. Many of these girls around here will throw themselves at you and I'm not trying to keep you from that. All I'm asking is that you keep it in your pants and don't knock any of them up. That is the _last_ thing I need."

Fitz agrees, "Okay." There was no way he was going to give up the opportunity to bang a bunch of desperate, small-town girls, but he would be safe about it.

"Your room is the last door down this hall," she tells him, pointing down the corridor. He starts heading that way but she stops him, saying, "But before I leave you alone, I need you to go pick up your cousin Teddy from water polo practice. He'll be finishing soon."

Fitz groans. "Why can't you do it?"

Nancy cocks an eyebrow and gives him a dirty look. "Because I was hoping to run down to the grocery store and cook something nice for your arrival. I also have to pick up my 5 year old daughter, Sarah, from a friend's house and I won't be able to make it to Teddy in time. I hope it's not too much of an inconvenience," she says, placing her hands on her hips and staring at him expectantly.

Fitz gives in, seeing that he doesn't have much of a choice. "Fine. What's the address?"

IiIiI

Olivia stares out the window of the diner she and her parents were eating at, wondering what this summer had in store for her. She had just graduated from high school the day before and was looking forward to having a little fun before she finally left her hometown for good. As much as she loved the friends and the life she had made here, she couldn't wait to leave behind her small-town foundations behind and see what the world had to offer—but most of all she couldn't wait to escape her parents, specifically her father.

Her thoughts are interrupted by her father, Eli, asking, "Olivia, do you not like your food?"

She shakes her head. "No, that's not it. I was just thinking…"

"You can think and eat," he says with a look of irritation on his face. "If you're going to swim after this you will need the energy, so stop staring out the window and eat, please."

She resists the urge to roll her eyes and picks up her fork, stabbing a piece of broccoli and popping it into her mouth. She hated that he still treated her like a child when she was just two months short of turning eighteen.

"I thought we were going to go to that Indian cuisine outside of town. You told me I could pick, remember?" She reminds him, something he had said they could do as a graduation treat.

"I know I said that but as mayor of this town it's important for me to get out of the office and see for myself what's going on in the more residential areas of the town. A good leader is a man of the people."

Olivia nods, but in her head is thinking, _you're the mayor of a small town, not the damn president of the United States_.

She decides to change the topic. "Well, I'm going to be spending the night at Quinn's after the party tonight. Mom said it was okay," Olivia says, looking to her mother for confirmation and hoping that her father wouldn't make an unnecessarily big deal out of her not asking him instead.

Her mother Maya nods. "I don't see the problem with it. Let her have some fun, Eli," she says, smiling warmly at her daughter to which Olivia responds with a thankful smile of her own.

Eli shakes his head okay. "I suppose that's fine as long as you're back home at 8am sharp. I want to take you to town hall for a few hours so that you can meet a few people that I work with."

"I've already met basically everyone you work with, Dad," Olivia mutters uninterestedly.

"Olivia, you will not waste away your summer going to parties and spending time with so-called friends that you won't even hear from once you go off to college. If you want to be successful in life and your career, you are going to need to start caring as early as possible. I thought we raised you better than this," Eli says, shaking his head ashamedly at her. "So, that is why I not only want you to join me tomorrow but I would like you to also start interning at town hall so that you can get an even more in-depth look at the politics of running a town."

She inwardly groans. "Okay," she agrees reluctantly.

"But in order to do so, you're going to have to cut down on one of your activities. It's either going to have to be swimming lessons or the animal shelter."

"But this isn't right…why can't I fit everything in?"

"Because I don't want you to get too distracted with anything that won't serve you well in the future. This is for you own good, Olivia. So, what is it going to be?" He asks, looking at her expectantly.

"Animal shelter, I guess," she grumbles. As much as she loved both, she couldn't give up her job teaching the little kids how to swim—it was the highlight of her summer and her boss had told her several times that she was one of the few instructors that was so good with the kids. So, as much as she would miss caring for the dogs at the animal shelter, she would have to give that up.

"You're going to thank me later," Eli assures her. She hated the fact that he had so much control over her life. She had done everything he'd asked of her, including getting accepted into Yale and becoming valedictorian but he still demanded more of her and it was beginning to piss her off.

As she picks through her food, she hears loud music approaching from outside. A blue pick-up truck parks in one of the spots in front of the restaurant and a boy gets out, cutting off the Jay Z song and marching towards the diner.

She's sure that she's never seen him or his car before since she basically knows everyone in town, but she can't seem to get a good look at him. All she can see is his head of gorgeous brown curls and his well-built body.

"Some people's kids…" Eli mutters, frowning at the music the boy was playing and sliding out of the booth. "I'm going to go talk to Will for a bit," he says, referring to the owner of the diner who was standing behind the counter.

The boy walks up to the counter and orders from Will when Eli comes up behind him and greets Will. They talk for a few minutes until the boy interrupts them saying, "Hey, is my order ready yet or what?"

"Hmm, that was very rude of you to just barge into our conversation like that, young man," Eli says sternly.

"Well, I've been waiting for a while now, _sir_. I mean, how long does it take to get a drink?" He asks indignantly.

"You need to learn how to show some respect. You can't just walk in here with a rude attitude and that loud, profane music. This is a civilized community of which you are evidently new to but I am the mayor and I will not let its good reputation go down the gutter because of hoodlums like you," Eli says pompously, making even Olivia scoff.

She hears the smug smile in his voice as he says, "Well, I'll try not to ruin your precious town, your Highness, but no promises." One of the employees hands the boy his to-go drink and after a head nod at Eli and Will walks out of the diner

"Unbelievable," Eli exclaims. "When I was his age, if I would have spoken to an adult like that, I wouldn't even be here right now."

"Tell me about it…" Will agrees, but Olivia tunes out their ranting as she tries to get a better look at the boy as he walks to his car. Though, again she manages to only get the side and back of his head and nothing else as he gets back into his car and pulls out of his spot, putting his music back on and turning the volume up even higher than before as he drives off.

IiIiI

Fitz pulls up to the recreational center as he sips the last of his drink up, wondering if he'll be able to recognize his cousin from the picture his aunt sent him, but when he looks at the entrance to the building, he sees a kid who looks similar to the photo, sitting on a bench. He gets out of the car and can't help but mentally acknowledge how much they look alike with the same brown curls and blue eyes, except that Teddy was a bit shorter and very scrawny. He walks up to his cousin, who is drenched with no towel. Teddy looks up at Fitz and grumbles, "You're late."

Fitz makes a face at this. "You should be thanking me for even coming, but you're not getting in my truck dripping wet. Don't you have a towel?"

Teddy looks down and shakes his head ashamedly and mumbles, "No, some guys stole all the towels before I could get one."

Fitz sighs, getting frustrated. He just wanted to go home and chill but now he had to go and find a towel. "Then let's go find these guys."

Fitz walks into the building with Teddy shamefully trailing behind him. They go past the lobby into the pool area where many kids are milling around in their bathing suits, some just as drenched as Teddy. Fitz cringes as a group of little kids scurry past them, their laughs and echoing throughout the building and aggravating Fitz even more. "Okay, so do you recognize any of them?" He asks

Teddy nods and points timidly toward another boy around his age sitting on a nearby bench who sure enough has a whole stack of towels next to him. Fitz marches over to the kid who looks up and smiles cunningly up at Teddy. "Someone's looking rather cold and wet. I bet you wish you had a towel, huh, Teddy Bear?"

The boy looks at Fitz who is looming over him with a fixed grimace on his face. "Who's this? Your retarded-ass bodyguard?" The kid asks, snickering at his unfunny joke.

"Just give me a towel, you little shit. I'm not in the mood for this," Fitz demands, trying to hold himself back. The boy recoils at Fitz's angry expression and clenched fists and quickly says, "Fine, take them."

Fitz snatches a towel and makes an intimidating gesture at the kid before turning around, expecting Teddy to be right behind him but instead his cousin is nowhere to be seen. He sighs exasperatedly, wondering where and why Teddy wandered off.

He continues walking around the pool area, scanning the faces he sees for Teddy's but still can't find him. He looks down, simply to check the time on his phone and when he looks up something—or more like someone—catches his attention. The first thing he takes note of is her soft and smooth-looking, mocha skin and the way her hips sway from side to side as she confidently struts her way in his direction. His eyes move up to her face and he feels his mouth watering at her beautiful plump lips as he pictures how they would feel against his skin and all over his body. If all the girls in this town were as gorgeous as her, this would be the best summer of his life.

As he passes her he can't give up the opportunity to get a look at her backside and just as imagined, she has the full package.

"Nice ass," Fitz mutters and keeps walking like he's done so many times to so many girls before.

"I know, right? But I don't need some stupid asshole like you to tell me that," she says, continuing on her way without missing a beat.

Fitz spins back around, beyond surprised that she said anything when most girls just gave him a dirty look and kept walking. She raises her eyebrows at him and he sees a slight smile creep onto her face as she watches him realize that she's beaten him at his own game. He stutters a bit before shrugging it off nonchalantly and saying, "Well, then I take it back."

She nods slowly. "Well, I still think that you're an asshole." She looks past him and waves, saying, "Hi, Teddy."

Fitz looks back to see his cousin waving back at her. "Oh, uh, hey, Olivia," Teddy replies nervously, his cheeks steadily growing rosier.

Fitz looks back at Teddy and gives him a questioning look as the girl named Olivia asks, "How's water polo?"

"It's, uh, great. How's…swimming?" Teddy asks awkwardly.

"Also great. Do you know this guy?" She asks, pointing lazily at Fitz with an unimpressed expression on her face.

Teddy shrugs. "I guess…this is my cousin Fitzpatrick," he answers.

"Fitzpatrick?" Olivia questions with a chuckle. "You don't strike me as a Fitzpatrick."

"That's because that's not my name. It's Fitzgerald, but I just go by Fitz," Fitz says irritably.

"Yeah, it seems like you guys really know each other…" Olivia says sardonically. She stares at him oddly for a few seconds, as if she's trying to remember him from somewhere but then she shakes it off and focuses back on the both of them.

"Bye, Teddy, and _Fitzpatrick_," she says, winking and smiling smoothly at him. He feels annoyed but at the same time captivated by her, like he has the strong urge to just slam her up against a wall and kiss the shit out of her, but he quickly pushes the thought aside.

Once she's out of sight, Fitz turns to Teddy and asks, "Who is she?" Attempting to sound disinterested but he can't help the tone of wonder that fills his voice.

"That's Olivia," he responds, staring dreamily in her direction. "She's one of the swim instructors here for the little kids. She's also the mayor's daughter."

Fitz raises his eyebrows at this as a sly smile slides across his face and an idea hits him. Maybe this summer wouldn't be too bad. Fooling around with the mayor's little princess would be a challenge, especially if she was as confident and self-assured as she seemed , but Fitz was a master at the game so he knew that every girl had a weak spot and with a little patience and perseverance, he would win his prize.

What he didn't know is that he would win much more than a petty prize. She would be his destiny.

**So, what did you think? I know Fitz is an ass here but I promise he'll get better as the story progresses...if you think it should progress...Leave your thoughts for me because they're much appreciated. Thanks for reading!**


	2. A Spark

**I know I've been gone for a while but it's just been really hard to get back into writing for Scandal FF with all the weird, stupid things Shonda is pulling on the show. I don't even watch it anymore and I felt like quitting FF too but I've put way too much time into these stories to never finish them, so I'm going to try and do my best. So, here we go!**

**Chapter 2: A Spark**

"So, how old are you again?" Fitz's five year-old cousin, Sarah, asks as the four family members eat an early dinner.

"Honey, don't you think you've asked Fitz enough questions for the night. Why don't you give him a break and eat your food? You aren't leaving the table until that broccoli is finished," Nancy warns.

Sarah pouts and stabs one of her vegetables, but doesn't stop the questioning. "But really, how old are you?"

Fitz sighs, trying to not to show his annoyance which was growing with every question. "I'm seventeen."

"You look older. Teddy's only three years younger than you and he looks like a shrimp. Something doesn't add up," Sarah exclaims, looking genuinely confused.

Teddy frowns at this and checks out his body, making Fitz smile slightly.

"Okay, enough questions. Just be like Fitz and finish your food," Nancy says, looking at Fitz's totally empty plate. He hadn't realized how hungry he was before but as soon as the plate was placed in front of him, he had gobbled everything up within minutes.

He gets up to put his plate in the sink when he hears the distant sound of music coming from outside.

"Where's that music coming from?" Fitz asks, looking out the window toward the sound.

"Oh, that's just the kids celebrating their freedom for the summer down at the beach. They're all around your age, too."

"Hmph," Fitz murmurs, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge and heading to his room silently. A party sounded kind of fun but he wasn't quite sure he was ready to hang with all the kids in town yet. Right now he just wanted a little time alone.

He goes to his room and pulls off his shirt, feeling too hot in the tiny room. He turns on the fan and crashes on his bed, plugging in his earbuds and turning his music up high to tune out the sound of one of Sarah's Disney shows in the living room and the distant music playing from down at the beach. He closes his eyes as he faces the ceiling and drums his fingers on his chest along to the music, trying to dream himself somewhere far away.

He eventually opens his eyes, starting to feel restless for whatever reason and digs his drawing pad out of one of his suitcases to get some of his energy out.

Drawing had been a hobby of his since he was just a little boy and overtime he had become extremely good. He started getting into it when an old woman in his neighborhood that was like a grandma to him before she passed away started giving him free lessons and it helped him focus his energy on something more positive than getting into trouble.

His mind immediately goes to an image of the Sahara Desert. He begins by drawing the dirty waves and slowly adds in detail taking his time. Once he's finished with the drawing he lays back down on the bed, but soon gets bored again since there's nothing to do in the 10x10 room.

_Maybe I could check out that party_, he thinks, also wondering if they would have any booze. That was something he could really use.

He grabs his keys off of the nightstand and heads down the hall towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" Nancy asks simply as she sits with Teddy and Sarah in the living room.

Fitz shrugs. "Just out. Don't worry, I won't get into any trouble," he says dryly, walking out the door without another word.

* * *

"So, basically, my summer is gone," Olivia tells her friends, taking a sip of her wine cooler as they sit on the beach, watching the sun set over the ocean.

"Sorry, Liv…" Her friend Quinn says sincerely.

"I don't even want to be a politician. I don't know why he can't see that…he always treats me like a little child and I'm sick of it!" Olivia exclaims rather loudly, feeling the alcohol flooding her system.

"I guess that's the price of being the mayor's daughter," Abby says, nudging her. Olivia rolls her eyes as their other friend Lauren says with an annoyed tone, "Why does Mellie have to try so hard to be such a hoe. We all know it already."

They all look over at the girl they've all hated for the past several years, who happens to be basically effing the two guys she's dancing with for everyone to see.

"And she thinks that she looks good," Olivia snorts.

"Mmm…but one of the guys is a real hottie," Abby says.

"Are you talking about Andrew because he's not even remotely cute," Quinn points out.

"No, the other one. With the nice curly hair."

Olivia turns to see what they're talking about and grimaces slightly when she sees Fitz.

"He's not any better. He's an asshole," she says, waving dismissively.

"How would you know? Do you know him?" Abby asks.

"I met him earlier today at the rec center. He's that nerdy, younger boy Teddy's cousin. He told me that I had a nice ass," Olivia says, trying to imitate Fitz's deep voice.

"I would swoon if a guy like him told me that," Quinn says, staring at Olivia like she's crazy.

"But he was rude about it and acted like he was all that. He's no better than Andrew. That's why they're both dancing with Mellie," Olivia says, finishing the last of her drink.

"I'm going to go get another one," Olivia says, standing up and dusting her shorts off. "How about you guys?"

They all shake their heads no and she shrugs, taking off towards where the snacks and drinks are set up, wanting to make the most out of her time to do whatever she wanted without her parents breathing down her back.

She opens up a cooler and digs out another wine cooler but as she latches onto it, she feels the bottle being pulled up by another force. She starts to apologize, ready to let go and just get another one when she looks up to see the boy she had just trash talked to her friends, smiling down at her with a smug grin.

"You can have it. You seem to want it more than I do," he says ambiguously, releasing the bottle and reaching back into the cooler for a beer.

She takes it but glares at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," he says, cracking open the bottle and taking a swig before raising it up to her in a toasting manner. "Enjoy the party."

But before he can leave, she calls out to him, "What are you even doing here?"

He turns around and smiles again. "You mean in town or at the party?"

She shrugs. "Both."

"I'm spending the summer in town because my dad wants nothing to do with me, and I'm at this party because I want to have fun, get drunk, and dance with some pretty ladies. How about you?" He asks smoothly.

"Same," she responds simply.

"So, your dad is an asshole and you want to dance with some pretty ladies, too?" He asks, cocking an eyebrow.

She can't help but let out a short laugh, making him smile wider. "I would say that that's half true…my father wouldn't really win the 'greatest dad of the year' award."

He nods slowly but decides to change the subject. "Well, would you like to dance or do you still think I'm an asshole?"

She stares back into his eyes which are extremely captivating but she can't just give in. She was still a little bitter about what he had said earlier. "The latter, but everyone is redeemable with time," she says with a smirk, taking a sip of her drink and then walking away. She can feel his eyes on her the whole way back to her friends but she doesn't dare look back, not wanting him to know that he was still on her mind. However, she can't help the fluttering feeling she gets in her stomach after their interaction as she imagines his dazzling grayish blue eyes and his deep baritone voice all over again. But she manages to quickly push the thoughts away.

Later they all sit together around a bonfire with a larger group of people and warm themselves up while talking—well, Fitz does most of the talking. As soon as everyone learned that he was new to town, their focus had been on him and his somewhat wild and mild stories. Even the fact that he was from big-city New Jersey had made everyone go nuts. He was like a martian to them and he didn't seem to have a problem with all the attention at all.

"And that's how I ended up in this small town," Fitz says, finishing off a story about how he and some friends from where he used to live pulled a senior prank on the principal of their high school.

"You're brave, man, no one around here would ever try something like that," Harrison, another one of Olivia's close friends, says.

"I call it stupid," Olivia mutters. Harrison gives her a disapproving look and she just shrugs, and while no one else heard her, Fitz looks over to her like he did.

"Yeah, it was fun," Fitz says impassively, tossing his beer bottle onto the sand.

"Have you ever tried night surfing?" Stephen, another friend of Olivia's, asks animatedly.

Fitz seems to hesitate before answering, "Mmm yeah, a few times."

"A few of us were going to try it tonight. You should join us."

Olivia suddenly sees a flash of panic on Fitz's face but it's gone as soon as it appears. "Uh, maybe not tonight. I don't have the right clothing for it."

"You don't need anything really. We were just going to go in naked," Charlie, who was the clown of the group, says with a sly smile.

Everyone rolls their eyes at him but laughs.

"Now that's a sight I want to see," Abby whispers into Olivia's ear, tilting her head towards Fitz.

Olivia raises her eyebrows at this and they both snicker at this. "Abby, you're horrible," Olivia says back, trying to fight the urge to picture for herself how he would look butt naked.

"Maybe another time," Fitz suggests coolly.

The guys all take this as an acceptable answer but tell Fitz that they're going to hold him to it, making Fitz chuckle nervously.

After chatting a little more, the group heads for the water, the majority of them staying by the edge of the shore while Harrison, Charlie, and Stephen go surfing using LED lights. Abby and Quinn tease Olivia constantly about Harrison who is trying some extensive tricks and keeps looking to Olivia to see her reaction, but Olivia can't help but keep her eyes on Fitz who is standing shin deep in the water with Mellie. Olivia can hear her yapping away even from about fifteen feet away with that shrill voice of hers but Fitz seems less than interested, keeping his gaze on the water—that is until he turns his head and sees Olivia staring back at him.

His mouth curls up and he continues to look at her for a few seconds before, saying something to Mellie, which makes her cringe, and starts heading over to Olivia.

"Ooo…looks like tall, dark, and handsome is coming your way, Liv," Abby says giddily.

"See, he does really have a thing for you!" Quinn says as she and Lauren cheerily smile at her. They walk away as he comes over to her.

"Hi," he says, sinking his hands into the pockets of his rolled up jeans.

"Hi. Has Mellie talked off your ear enough?"

"Well, I don't think that she was quite done letting me hear all about her girl drama but I was."

She smiles. "You seemed to enjoy her company a lot earlier," Olivia says, wondering if she sounds jealous.

"That was just dancing, it didn't mean anything," he says, shrugging with his tone sounding a bit defensive. "I'm not into prom queens anyway."

"I was prom queen," Olivia points out.

He raises his eyebrows and chuckles. "You were a prom queen?"

"Yes, why is that so shocking?"

"You just don't seem like the type."

"You mean I'm not like Mellie. I take pride in that."

"What, do you have some long, drama-filled rivalry with her? Let me guess, in the sixth grade, she scored tickets to a Justin Bieber concert and you didn't so you've hated her guts ever since."

She laughs. "Why Justin Bieber?"

"I don't know, he was a big deal back then."

"Well, that wasn't it—you know, I don't even know why I'm talking about this with you."

"Maybe it's because you actually like me despite some of my asshole tendencies," he suggests.

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Well, why don't you give me a try? Dance with me," he tells her.

"You know, several hours ago you were making a derogatory comment about my ass and now you're asking me out to dance like a gentleman," she scoffs.

He leans closer to her and says lowly into her ear, "I wouldn't consider it derogatory, and yes, I can be a gentleman, too. So, what do you say?"

Olivia stands there frozen, both annoyed and perplexed by his crude charm. No one had ever had an effect on her like this and she wasn't sure if she liked it. She opens her mouth to speak when she hears a loud yell from out in the water and turns her head to see Harrison, Stephen, and Charlie swimming back to the shore.

"I don't think that'd be a good idea…" she says softly, stepping back from him and turning back towards the ocean as Harrison, Stephen, and Charlie finish up.

* * *

The guys finally come in from the water after a good twenty minutes of surfing. Harrison leaps out of the water and picks Olivia up in a hug, spinning her around against her will and drenching her. "Ugh, I hate you!" She exclaims, glaring at him.

"You love me!" He hollers, pecking her cheek. Fitz feels a tightening in his chest and his jaw clench at this but he doesn't know why. The gesture seemed playful but even though he had been with many girls with boyfriends in the past without too many problems, a part of him hoped that she and Harrison weren't a thing.

Olivia eventually shoves Harrison off of her, making him laugh even more. "You're going to pay for that."

"Sure I will!" Harrison yells, going to get a towel.

Her smiles vanishes as soon as she makes eye contact with Fitz again but he looks away soon after, making his way up the beach, feeling somewhat let down. He had no idea why he was so upset over the fact that she had refused to dance with him or that Harrison might be her boyfriend. She was just some girl he had met a few hours ago that he thought he could get a good screw or two out of as a sort of payback to her father. But she didn't mean anything beyond that—at least that's what he was telling himself. Maybe he needed another drink to get it off his mind—but then he remembers that he can't get too drunk or else Nancy will notice.

He joins the guys further up on the beach as the party winds down again.

"So, I saw you getting close with Olivia earlier…boy's got game," Charlie says approvingly.

Fitz shakes his head dismissively, his attempt to get Olivia out of his head becoming unsuccessful. "That was nothing."

"I saw the way she was looking at you. You going to hit that?"

"Well, Olivia's not the type to sleep around, especially with guys she barely knows so I doubt she would with you," Harrison interjects solemnly but seems to feel a little guilty for his bluntness. "No offense…"

"Well, just because she would never sleep with you doesn't mean Fitz can't get some ass. Fitz has game."

"I got game, too," Harrison says defensively. Fitz feels a little satisfaction over the fact that Olivia and Harrison aren't a thing.

"Bruh, you've been trying to ask her out since we were in the fifth grade," Stephen says, making both he and Charlie laugh.

Harrison glares at the two of them. "I just want to do it the right way. Her dad is super strict and I want him to like me."

"Mayor Pope basically sees you as the son he never had and he thinks you're a lot better than us. I'm sure he would be fine with it."

"Well, I'm not looking for a relationship or anything like that. I just want to have some fun this summer, so do what you got to do, man. I'm cool with it," Fitz says, deciding to let go of his plan to get to Olivia. He respected the bro code and if he was going to have any friends this summer, it would be smart to just let it go and move on. There were plenty of other fish in the ocean.

Harrison nods, looking relieved. "Thanks, man. It's going to happen this summer for sure, then we can even be together in college when we go off to Yale. It'll be perfect," he says, laying back down on the sand with his hands folded behind his head and looking up serenely at the sky.

"Aww…our boy is still sprung over a girl who sees him as a brother," Stephen taunts.

"Shut up!" Harrison says, throwing sand at both him and Billy who are cracking up.

Fitz chuckles, but inside he's somewhat disappointed, though he's not sure if it's because he decided to quit his little game for Harrison's sake or if it's something else, something deeper.

He looks out closer to the ocean where Olivia and her friends are huddled around a campfire, clutching blankets tightly around their bodies. He watches as she throws her head back in laughter and just the sight of this brings a small smile to his face. _She is so beautiful_, he can't help but think.

There were plenty of fish in the ocean but for some reason, this particular one kept appealing to him.


	3. A Little Bit Closer

**I know I haven't touched this story or any of my other ones in a while so sorry for that, but summer is now here so I should have more time on my hands and I promise I will get to updating my other stories ASAP. But for now, enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: A Little Bit Closer**

"Piece of crap car!" Fitz hears as he comes out of the convenient store. He looks to the direction of the voice and sees Olivia angrily kick her tire and put her hands to her forehead, obviously way past frustrated.

He strolls over to her, smiling slightly. "Looks like you're having some car trouble."

She looks over at him and rolls her eyes. "I guess you could call a smoking engine car trouble…"

He smiles lightly. "Can I take a look?"

She gives him the go-ahead. After checking everything out, he gives her his diagnosis. "The engine overheated. I think your head gasket is blown. Sorry…getting it replaced is pretty expensive."

She curses under her breath and Fitz can't help but smirk at her little angry fit. When she sees him, she glares and asks, "You think this is funny? Shiit, I'm going to be late…"

He shakes his head. "No, my bad. I can call the guys at the auto repair shop to take care of it for you. I can also give you a lift to wherever you're going if you'd like?"

"Hmm…why are you being so nice today?" She asks suspiciously, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Because I can be a nice guy when I want to," he responds simply.

She stares back at him contemplatively for a long moment before sighing and murmuring, "Okay. Let me get my things and call my dad."

He nods. "I'll call the shop." Fitz managed to find a job within a week at the local auto repair shop and so far it hadn't been as bad as he thought it would be. He didn't totally hate what he had to do, it was something he was gifted at, and he got good pay.

He quickly explains the situation to Huck who tells him a tow truck will be down there as soon as possible and he also agrees to tell Jason that Fitz will be late. Once he finishes with the call, Fitz waits as Olivia goes back to her car to get her stuff and phone her father but when he looks back at her, he just so happens to get the perfect view of her ass. He lets out a low growl, imagining all the things he could do with that when she whips her head back to look at him.

He stares back at her nonchalantly. "You almost done?"

"Yeah. You in a hurry to get somewhere?" She asks, shutting her car door.

"Not particularly," Fitz says as they both sit inside the car.

"He didn't pick up which is odd, but I guess I'll just have to explain it to him when I get there. This sucks," she groans.

He gives her a pitying look. "So where are we going?" He asks as he starts driving out of the gas station.

"To town hall. My dad is making me work there for the summer," she tells him with a noticeable annoyed expression on her face. "So, you're going to turn right and then continue down on this road for a while. I'll tell you when to turn again."

He nods and they silently listen to the music for a while before he decides to make a little conversation.

"You can turn on the radio if you'd like," he suggests.

She shrugs and hits the power button but since Fitz forgot that he had plugged the aux cord into his phone, his music starts playing. He didn't really know how she'd react to his music but he didn't expect her to turn up the volume and slightly bob her head as Drake's "No Tellin'" fills his speakers.

"You have good taste," she says with a soft smile. "I didn't expect you to like this kind of music."

"Why, because I'm a white boy? I bet you expected country or something," he says, giving her a smirk. "I can't stand that stuff."

She lets out a short, nervous laugh. "Well, we have that in common."

"So, we both love partying, getting wasted, and we hate our fathers and country music."

She flashes him a smile that makes his stomach flutter. "It's not that I hate him, he just has this way of being strict and so controlling to the point where it's almost like I have no control over my own life. He feels like everything has to go his way and if it doesn't, he gets bent out of shape. It's the reason why I have to report to town hall and work there for the entire summer."

"That sucks, but I'm surprised that a future Yale student like you wouldn't jump at an opportunity to help run the town. Don't all you geniuses want to rule the world some day? It's a good start," he says sarcastically.

She rolls her eyes at him and groans. "Do you take anything seriously?"

"Not really," he says smugly.

"And how'd you even know I'm going to Yale? I never told you that."

"Your goofy little boyfriend told me," Fitz admits dryly. "What's his name? Harry or something like that…"

"Harrison? And he's not my boyfriend, I've known him since I was in diapers. He's like the brother I never had."

"Okay," Fitz says acceptingly, but he knew that she was going to be in for a pretty big shock once Harrison declared his undying love for her.

"But it's nice to see your making new friends. Hopefully your little bad boy tendencies won't rub off on them, though."

_Bad boy?_ "No promises."

They drive in a comfortable silence, that is with the music still playing in the background, but as PARTYNEXTDOOR's "Sex On the Beach" starts to play and he actually listens to the lyrics, he can't keep his mind from fantasizing. He imagines them together, sitting on the beach as she straddles him and he runs his hands all over her beautiful skin. He would lay her down and take off all her clothes while making sure not a single inch of her body went untouched by his lips. And finally he would make sweet, slow, fire-hot love to her that would make her scream out his name begging for mo—

"Fitz, the turn is coming up," Olivia suddenly says, breaking through his thoughts.

"Oh…shiit," Fitz mutters, making the turn just in time. He quickly turns the music off and keeps it silent for the rest of ride, not wanting to get distracted again.

As they near town hall, Olivia leans in towards the windshield to get a closer look at the person who is standing confrontationally on the front steps of the building and curses under breath as they both come to the realization that this person is her father.

"He's going to kill me…"

"When were you supposed to be here?" He asks.

"At eight sharp." It was now 8:15.

"We'll just tell him your car broke down. He has to understand it wasn't your fault."

"My dad isn't really the understanding type," she murmurs as he pulls up to the steps. She gets out and starts towards her father, avoiding eye contact with him and slightly hanging her head. This makes Fitz feel bad and angry for her since just several minutes ago she was smiling and laughing with him and now just one look from her dad has taken all that away. He quick hops out of the car, ready to come to her defense as Eli says to Olivia, "Your first day and you can't even show up on time…"

"I can explain…" she begins to say.

"And what are you doing with him?" He questions her, looking at Fitz with a horrified expression on his face.

"Her car broke down at a gas station but the auto repair shop is taking care of it. Maybe if you had answered Olivia's call, she could've explained this to you," Fitz with a subtly indignant tone.

"Excuse me?" Eli says threateningly.

"Fitz." Olivia gives him a look to back off and he does, holding his hands up in a surrendering gesture and backing up a little to give them a little space.

"My engine overheated and the car started smoking. I tried to call you to tell you I was running late because of it. Fitz was nice enough to give me a lift. I'm sorry," she explains.

He stares between the two of them for a few seconds before sighing deeply and shaking his head. "Just come inside now. We have a lot to do. How long will it take for the car reparations?"

"It should be good by the end of the day," Fitz says.

"I can have Abby pick me up when I'm done here and then we'll come by the shop," Olivia tells Fitz and then turns to her father for permission, who nods and ushers her inside.

"I'll see you later then," Fitz says, glad at the fact that he'd get to see her again in several hours.

"Thanks…for everything," she tells him with a genuine smile before turning away.

Fitz starts walking back to the driver's side of his car but he's still able to hear Eli mutter to Olivia, "Yes, it was 'nice' of him to give you ride, but you shouldn't forget that he is just an average-at-best teenage boy that only has one thing on his mind. You may go pick up your car this evening but afterwards, I don't want to ever see you with him again. If I have to see that blue pick-up truck one more time I'm going to lose it."

Once he's done warning Olivia, he immediately looks over to Fitz and Fitz realizes that Eli actually meant for him to hear everything. But being the 'zero-fucks given' kind of person, all Fitz does is smile back smugly at Eli and give him a two-finger salute. He doesn't wait for Eli's glare but instead hops over his hood and gets back into his truck.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," Fitz mumbles as he turns his music back on as well as the volume, knowing that he was being an extreme asshole but at the moment, so was Eli. And with that, he drives off.

IiIiI

Fitz enjoyed his new job, even though he sometimes got too sweaty and grimy for his own good. He had managed to find a friend in Huck, who was about two years older than Fitz and had decided to go right to work after high school. He didn't talk much but he was helpful towards Fitz and seemed like an alright guy. And there was Jason, the twenty-something year old, 6'4" army vet who actually owned the shop. He looked a little menacing and scary to approach at first glance but he was a fun, well-traveled guy to talk to and he had so many stories that made their monotonous moments working somewhat interesting.

At the moment it was nearing 6pm but the three of them had decided to stay behind to lock. Fitz's reason was to see Olivia one more time before the day ended, so even though he was tired from working long hours, the moment she pulled up with Abby, he suddenly felt rejuvenated.

"Hey," he greets her and Abby casually, as if he wasn't feeling a little jittery inside.

Olivia smiles back as Abby greets, "Hey…Fitz, is it?" and then giggles.

Olivia rolls her eyes and elbows her friend, like they had rehearsed the way they were going to greet him and Abby had completely botched it.

"Hello, Olivia, I haven't seen you around here in quite some time," Jason says in a friendly way, but with a rather predatory gleam in his eyes that was making Fitz a little uncomfortable, but he decides to brush it off. "Are you looking for MJ?"

"Um, no…I'm here for my car. Is it ready?" She asks, turning to Fitz with a urgent look in his eyes.

"Uh, yeah…on the other side of the lot," Fitz says, feeling the awkward air between Olivia and Jason. He wondered how they knew each other. "Here, I'll take you."

She turns to Abby and tells her friend she'll be alright. As Abby heads back to her car, Olivia and Fitz take off to the other side of the lot to go get her car.

"Thanks for doing this. I'm sorry my dad was such a jackass to you earlier," she tells him as they walk.

"It's fine. It wasn't your fault or anything," he assures her and she nods.

Once they get to the car, Fitz shows her the reparations and that the car is fully functional and he is once again able to see that perfect smile on her face that he was coming to love.

She gives him a check written by her father and sits in the car. "This is great! It's like there was never anything wrong in the first place."

"I'm glad you like it, your Highness."

She rolls her eyes with a smirk and closes the door but before she gets ready to drive off she hesitates for a second or two before turning back to him and asking, "Are you doing anything this evening?"

"Not really. Why?" Was she trying to ask what he thought she was trying to ask?

"Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to just do something…like with me…together, I mean. Not like a date or anything just…something fun."

"You're really not that good at this, are you?" He says sardonically.

"Good at what?"

"Asking people out."

She sighs, looking a little embarrassed. "This isn't a date. I just thought we could hang out…I still feel really bad about this morning and I kinda want to make it up to you," she says with a guilty expression.

As much as he wanted to say yes, he was still worried about getting her into more trouble with her father. "But what about your dad? Isn't he going to flay us both alive if he sees or even hears about us hanging out together?"

"I don't care about what my dad thinks. I want to do this, so let me worry about it. Please?" She asks, staring at him with those big brown eyes and making her lips extra pouty. He couldn't say no to that.

"I get off in five. Just wait here," he tells her, giving in.

She beams triumphantly at him and agrees to wait. Fitz hurries back to the front of the shop, struggling not to smile too much. No girl had ever had this effect on him. He was usually the seducer, not the seducee, and even though he tried to play it as cool as possible, the more time he spent around her, the more he wanted of her.

**So, I hope y'all liked this chapter. I know it was kind of short but I just felt like posting today. "The Girl in the White Dress" will be next, I promise (hopefully). Leave your thoughts/comments for me. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Revelations

**Sorry it's been a while since I updated this one. Hopefully I can get back into the rhythm. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4: Revelations**

They decided to settle at a sandwich place that wasn't busy at that time of the day and thus gave them the quietness and privacy to talk. They spent a good two or three hours talking about everything and nothing—books, shows, movies, school, the future, and anything that came to mind. He was starting to get to know her beyond the pretty face and he was liking what he was discovering. But with the interaction he saw between Olivia and Jason, he had questions, not particularly intrusive questions, but ones he thought he should know and didn't think she'd have a problem giving him the answers to.

"So, how do you know Jason?" He asks, trying to hold back any uneasy curiosity in his voice.

She shrugs. "Everyone kind of knows him. He deals with so many different people and things, you just end up meeting him one way or another."

Fitz nods, not really sure what that means but he lets it go. "And, who's that MJ guy he thought you were looking for?"

She lets out a soft, lighthearted laugh. "That question never gets old."

Fitz furrows his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

She sighs and then subtly looks around the room before leaning in and lowly asking him, "Can you keep a secret?"

"I don't have anyone to go blabbing off to."

"So, you promise to keep that smart mouth of yours shut?"

He frowns. "Yes, I promise. Tell me," he urges her.

"Okay, well, the simple way to put this is that MJ isn't really a person…MJ makes you feel like you're floating on clouds, like the happiest person on Earth, and it's complementary with reggae music. Are you getting my drift?" She asks with a smirk.

Fitz nods slowly as the realization hits him. "MJ is marijuana. Wait, so when Jason asked you earlier if you were looking for MJ, he meant…you smoke?"

"Not that much anymore. I kind of stopped when I felt like my parents were starting to get suspicious."

"So, the dictator still doesn't know? I can just imagine the look on his face if he caught you mid-puff," Fitz says with a chuckle.

"He would have a heart attack," Olivia jokes, laughing and causing Fitz to do the same.

"Wow, I never expected you of all people to be into that."

She shrugs. "You can't judge people by their cover, especially the one they put on to satisfy their tyrannical fathers. And by the way, just beware of Jason. It's only a matter of time before he starts pushing his crap on you, I mean, I'm not saying you shouldn't if you want to, but just be careful."

Fitz nods. So he had been right about there being something off with Jason. He spent his days working at an auto repair shop as a façade but made the real money mooching off the kids in town and preying on them in exchange for drugs. Fitz hoped that's all he did but he still didn't like the way Jason had looked at Olivia and he wondered if there was more to that.

"So, Jason just sold you MJ? Were you guys ever a thing?"

She cringes and vigorously shakes her head. "Hell, no, he's like thirty years old and a total scumbag. Why are you so interested in my love life, anyway?" She asks with a curious smirk.

He chuckles. "It's nothing. I was just wondering…" He mutters, reaching for his drink and taking a nervous sip.

"I don't have a boyfriend. It's kind of awkward to even think of dating some of the guys around here since I've known a lot of them since pre-school. They're like brothers to me. But how about you? Do you have a hot girlfriend waiting for you back in New Jersey?"

He shakes his head. "No, I was never really big on dating…but that could change."

"Why, are there any girls you like?" She asks, looking closely at him. "You seemed really into Mellie that other day."

He cringes and shakes his head, making her laugh at his expression. "That's never going to happen."

She smiles. "Good. She's a shallow bitch, anyway, and you can definitely do better."

"I intend to," he says slowly, staring deeply into her eyes and for a moment, he's pretty sure she gets his message as her grin decreases to a small, nervous smile and she looks away from him shyly, reaching for a French fry to focus on something else.

He does the same, knowing his cheeks are probably turning a rosy red and reaches for his phone. "Well, this was nice but it's like almost nine o' clock. You should probably get back home before your dad starts to worry."

She nods. "I should. I can't believe we've been here for three hours, but it was fun."

"Yeah? I had fun, too. Maybe we could do this again sometime," Fitz suggests subtly. Was he asking her out on another date?

She smiles. "I'd like that."

* * *

"She kissed you?" Huck asks with raised eyebrows the next day as he and Fitz are tidying up the auto-repair shop before they close up.

Fitz shrugs it off. "It was just a simple kiss on the cheek, you know, like goodbye gesture."

"I've known Olivia for a while and I know she doesn't just go around kissing anyone on the cheek as a goodbye gesture. I think she likes you, like for real."

"Oh, Fitzy has a townie girlfriend now?" Jason asks teasingly as he walks into the front office.

Fitz glares at him and shakes his head.

"Apparently Olivia Pope," Huck tells Jason.

"Damn, Huck, when'd you become so talkative?" Fitz groans.

Huck shrugs as he continues to wipe the counter.

"Wow, Olivia Pope…how'd you manage that?"

"Look, guys, it's none of your business. And she's not my girlfriend. I don't do girlfriends," Fitz asserts. Although he had stronger feelings for Olivia than other girls he had been with in the past, the thought of being someone's boyfriend, the thought of actually belonging to someone and having them trust you to make the relationship work scared the crap out of him. He had only let people down his entire life, and he certainly didn't and didn't ever want to belong to anyone. He wanted her but he wasn't sure how far the attraction would go both ways if they weren't on the same page.

Jason smirks. "Right…"

Suddenly Fitz remembers Nancy told him to pick up Sarah from swim practice. He was already now ten minutes late and he knew that Nancy was going to kill him. "Shoot, guys! I have to go pick up my little cousin from swim practice. Is it okay if I wrap up here early?" Fitz asks Jason.

"Sure. Wouldn't want to keep the little munchkin waiting."

Fitz can't decide on whether Jason was being sarcastically upset or trying to crack a joke so he just gives a small chuckle, thanks Jason for understanding, and hightails his way out of there.

He feels guilty as he imagines little Sarah sitting all by herself waiting for him but as he pulls up to the rec center, he sees both his cousin and Olivia of all people sitting on the bench in front of the building.

"Finally someone decided to show up…" Olivia says with an expectant gaze.

"I was working," he explains.

"If you don't want me to tell my mom, you're going to have to buy me ice cream on our way home," Sarah tells him, looking as serious as a five year old can get.

"Okay, whatever," Fitz agrees hastily. "Just get in the car."

She beams and turns to Olivia. "Bye, Olivia. See you next time!" And then she skips to the truck.

"Thanks for staying here with her," Fitz says apologetically.

"It was no problem. I definitely wasn't going to let my five year old student sit out here by herself, even if this is a pretty safe area."

"Student?"

"I teach swim lessons," she clarifies.

"Oh, that's nice." She nods and for a long moment there's an awkward silence between them as the both remember the night before. It had been a simple goodbye kiss on the cheek but it had been so unexpected. If it meant that she was into him, he still wanted and needed to know how much.

"So, my dad's having this get-together at our house tomorrow. Some of us kids are basically being forced to go but we like to make some fun out of it, so I was wondering if you maybe wanted to tag along."

"At your house? Wouldn't I be noticed by your parents?" Fitz asks.

She shakes her head. "No, not if you keep a low profile. There's going to be a bunch of people and he's going to be busy playing hostess for most of the night so you should be good."

"Hmm…alright. Stephen, Charlie, and all them will be there, too?" He asks, wondering if she would be the only person there he knew.

"Um, yeah, you hang out with Stephen and Charlie ?" She asks, looking a little surprised.

"Yeah, sometimes we shoot hoops at Stephen's," he says with a shrug.

She nods. "Oh, cool…well, let me give you my number and give me yours," she says then lists it off as he adds it to his contacts and they do the same thin vice versa. He had done outrageous things in the past to get a cute girl's number, and now, the girl that was on his mind nearly all the time was just giving it to him casually. It was an understatement to say he was thrilled.

"I'll text you all the details," she says, slinging her bag across her shoulder. He watches as her luscious, silky hair settles on shoulders and admires how perfectly it scalps her face.

"Fitzy, let's go!" He hears Sarah yell from the truck.

"Fitzy?" Olivia questions with a beautiful laugh. "Oh, that's gold."

He rolls his eyes and hollers back, "I'm coming, Sarah! And stop calling me that."

He turns back to Olivia and says, "The princess awaits. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Fitz," she says back with a sweet smile and starts towards the parking lot.

"I'll call you whatever I want," Sarah challenges.

"Oh, not if you want to ride in my car. And you know the rules, get in the backseat," he tells her, opening the front passenger door and waiting for her to hop out.

"You're no fun," she grumbles, buckling herself into the back.

He smiles and says sardonically, "Neither are you."

He didn't notice Olivia had heard their whole conversation until he catches her smiling at them about to sit in her car. He winks at her and then heads over to the driver's side.

* * *

Olivia got dressed in her Sunday-best, like her mom had instructed her to do and after a full-on inspection by Mama Pope, which included hair and make-up, she was good to go. She was in a navy blue short, flowing dress. It was modest and casual but the open back gave it a little sexiness and it fit her like a glove.

Once downstairs, she goes outside to where the finishing touches are being made in preparation for the evening event. She had reminded Fitz that this was a suit and tie event over and over because as much as she was looking forward to him coming, she knew he wouldn't get to stay for long if he didn't blend in with everyone. For a moment she just stands there, staring into space and wondering how he good he would look in a suit and tie—that is until she feels sudden jabs to the sides of her abdomen.

She spins around, startled but quickly relaxes and glares at Harrison who's cracking up. "That never gets old, O," he exclaims, using her nickname he had used since they were kids.

"You're such a dumbass," she says, shoving him back. A look of surprise and then subtle guilt registers on his face which she considered odd since Harrison never felt guilty for anything he did.

He straightens up and grows a little more serious as he asks, "So are you ready for tonight?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she says dryly, then adds, "I invited Fitz."

"You did? Why?" He asks, trying to sound casual but his tone sounds a little accusatory.

She shrugs. "Because I wanted to. He's not bad at all." She was playing him down because since the time they spent at the restaurant yesterday, her interest in him had only increased. She had never gelled so well with anyone. He was intelligent, hilarious, entertaining, and overall captivating to her. She knew she was crushing on him but this felt different. It wasn't petty and vapid like the many celebrity or outside-of-town-boy crushes she had. This felt more real and deeper, like she was just scratching the surface of something big.

"Well, yeah, I mean he's cool and all but he's not exactly from our side of town. He's going to stand out like a sore thumb."

"I'll told him it was a suit and tie event. He'll be fine."

"If you say so…" Harrison says not sounding too convinced.

It didn't take long for people to start showing up little by little, and by 7:30 the front yard was bustling with all of her father's work associates and other important colleagues. The night had hardly started and she already knew it was going to be a long one—but in more ways than she imagined.

* * *

Fitz hadn't taken any really formal clothes with him from New Jersey. He didn't even have any slacks or a suit jacket, so his only choice was to go with his nicest pair of jeans, a white long-sleeved shirt, and an old vest that barely fit him anymore. His aunt had said he looked nice so that boosted his confidence a bit but by the time he arrived at Olivia's house, it was immediately shot down.

He took pride in his truck—he maintained it and kept it looking as good as he could but as he was searching for parking on the street, all the work he had put in and all that pride was shot to crap. Olivia had told him this was a formal event but she had failed to mention that it was actually a gathering of the elite. The lowest status car there was a Mercedes and as he finally found parking he was again reminded of how out of place he was when a family walking from their Porsche to the Pope's, cringed their faces in his direction.

He couldn't even get out of the car after that, so he just sat there for however long, sulking and growing angry at himself for even thinking he could pull this off—for believing that he had even the smallest chance with her.

* * *

"Gosh, Liv, you've been on that phone all evening, what are you even doing?" Quinn asks as she and all their other friends stand in a circle trying to make the best of things, none of them could deny that this was the most boring gathering ever.

"She's texting the handsome new fuckboy. What's his name again?" Abby says teasingly.

Olivia gives her a look that could kill. "It's Fitz and I'm just being nice. He should've been here a while ago," Olivia says, starting to worry a bit. She had already texted him three times asking if he was still coming and she was going to send a fourth but she thought that would come off as needy or irritating so she just decided to wait for his reply. Maybe he was still getting ready, she thought hopefully.

"He probably just skipped out. I told him this thing was going to hella boring anyway," Charlie says with a shrug.

"Wait, you talked to him. He told you he wasn't coming?" Olivia asks.

"Not really. He said he would try and make it if he could or if he felt like it, but if he decided not to, I get it. He's honestly not missing anything."

Olivia nods slowly but on the inside she was disappointed and a little pissed. She had gone out of her way to invite him and include him and here he was probably blowing her off, being the asshole that she had originally met.

"Well, it's not like he would've exactly fit in here. With that rickety ass truck of his and having a job at the auto-repair shop. That's like as low as you get," Harrison jokes, but he only gets awkward stares and a few uneasy smiles.

"Gosh, when did you turn into such a little arrogant prick, Harrison?" Olivia mutters.

"What, O, I was just joking, come on..."

"I don't know, I kind of like the truck. It has this old country feel to it. And being able to fix cars is pretty impressive, dude," Stephen chimes in. "So, he may not come from money or at least middle class but I think he's pretty cool and he fits in fine."

"Yeah, and the dude's got skills with the ladies, regardless. Hey, Harry, maybe you should stop trying so hard to be a mean girl and actually try and get a girl," Charlie says lightheartedly but by the furious look on Harrison's face, it strikes a nerve.

"I'm going to go get another drink," he grumbles and then walks away.

"Oh, come on, what did I do wrong this time," Charlie exclaims, making them all laugh as Harrison flips him off.

"Nothing. This is why I love you guys," Olivia says, feeling content for the first time that evening.

"Well, I think we've hang around here long enough. I say we go up to the treehouse because I have some coco for us!" Charlie says in a sing-song tone with a mischievous smile, patting his jacket pocket.

"Damn, you're the man, Charlie!" Stephen exclaims.

"Are you guys serious? We're so gonna get caught…" Quinn scolds them.

"We'll be in the treehouse, they won't smell a thing from that far away. And I just want to kick back and relax for a while. It's not like this is much of a party, anyway," Olivia rationalizes, knowing she's close to persuading her friend.

"I'm in," Abby says giddily.

With Quinn being the odd one out, she sighs and eventually gives in, "Whatever, guys."

"Yes, les go!" Charlie hollers. "So are we just ditching Harrison or what?"

"Yes, please, he's acting like such a bitch baby right now," Olivia mumbles. She wasn't particularly happy with Fitz at the moment but Harrison was also being a straight up jackass and she wasn't ready to deal with him again either. She knew that he had a major crush on her—she'd known it for years, but the fact that she was paying Fitz more attention than him didn't justify his snobbish jealousy in her eyes.

The group heads for an old treehouse that Olivia's father had built years and years ago for her to play in whenever she had friends over. She and her friends still hang out there, mostly when they were up to shady activities like what they were about to do at the moment, but to her it was still a reminder of her childhood and all her friendships.

Stephen and Charlie start rolling blunts for everyone while Abby fishes through her music playlist for something to match the mood and within minutes, they're all higher than the moon.

About an hour later, Olivia is leaning against the wooden wall of the treehouse, dangling her legs over the ledge above the ladder, feeling serene as ever when she feels her phone buzz in her hand and when she checks it she sees a text message from Fitz. It reads: _I'm outside. In my car._

Olivia scoffs at this and furiously types back: _Thanks for not texting me back for the past 2 hours._

A minute later he replies: _I'm sorry. I wanted to come. I've actually been here for the past 2 hours but I couldn't get out of my car._

Olivia: _Why?_

Fitz: _Can you come out here? I'm parked out on the street._

She shakes her head, thinking he was out of his damn mind. _If he thinks I'm coming out there he has another thing coming_, she thought at first but as the weed wore off and her mind became less foggy she grew more curious and worried. What if there was something wrong?

"Hey, guys, I'm going to go get a drink. I'll be back," she tells her friends, swinging her legs off of the ledge and leaving her friends who at the moment were way loopier than her as they laughed hysterically and probably hadn't heard a word she said. She rolls her eyes and heads for the ladder, beginning the descent to the ground.

She takes a five minute walk out to the street and is able to spot Fitz sitting in his truck, sitting in the darkness. She knocks on his window, making him flinch, likely because she kind of came out of his line of vision.

He rolls down the window and scans her body slowly with his eyes, giving her goosebumps. She's annoyed by the effect he has on her, especially when she was upset with him. He attempts a smile. "Hey. You look nice"

"'Hey'? Fitz, why am I out here?"

"I just wanted to talk," he tells her. "I'm sorry I ignored you. I meant to come in but I just couldn't bring myself to do it because…" He stops and sniffs the air and then leans in towards her. "Have you been smoking weed?"

She glances away, prompting him to ask, "Are you high right now?"

"No, I'm not. The weed wasn't all that great and I didn't have too much. My mind is fairly clear right now," she tells him matter-of-factly .

"Well, you should know that there's a cop that does a sweep of this street like every ten minutes. It's been nine minutes since he last came," Fitz warns her, looking at his car's clock.

"Shit…" mutters under her breath, beginning to regret giving into Charlie's bait. Was the smell really that abundant?

Fitz shakes his head, smiling smugly. "Just get in," Fitz says, unlocking the car.

Olivia reluctantly walks over to the other side of the car and gets in and not even moments after, she sees a cop casually but alertly walking down the street. He nods his head at Fitz and Fitz does the same, like they have some kind of understanding and then continues past them.

"What, so now your besties with the cop?" She taunts.

"Not really, but he knows I'm not up to anything troublesome or stupid and honestly, I think he also looks forward to seeing me every ten minutes. His job must be boring af."

"Alright, Fitz, so what's up with you? The reason I invited you was because I wanted you to feel included since your new to town and you just blew me off. I mean, yeah, it was pretty boring, but you could've still said something."

He nods and grips the steering wheel, frustrated. "I know, I should've said something. I-I'm sorry. I just…I don't belong in a place like this…with all these people I'm not rich or fancy, I spent half my life living in a trailer park and the other half in a New Jersey ghetto, so excuse me if I feel like a fish out of water with all these sophisticated people around. I try to fit in here but I know I don't. It's embarrassing. And…you've been one of the realest girls I've ever met and I didn't want to disappoint you but now I have and I've wasted your time, so I'm sorry. I know I screwed up. You don't ever have to see me again if you don't want to after this."

Her heart breaks at hearing and seeing him like this. Right now he looked so vulnerable and she knew it was killing him to let down his tough guy façade and actually open up but for some reason he trusted her enough, and she wouldn't betray that. She lets out a big sigh and faces him, placing her hand lightly over his on the console. "I'm sorry. I never meant to make you feel bad. I wish you had just told me something."

"Told you that I'm an embarrassed to be poor?"

"Yeah, why do you have to have such a big ego all the time? It's okay to be vulnerable sometimes," she assures him.

He scoffs. "I doubt you'd think the same if you were in my shoes. You get to march around everywhere on a high horse like your dad owns the place because he actually does own the place. Your whole life you've had everything handed to you, you haven't had to struggle."

"So, you're saying that I'm basically stuck up and entitled. Thanks a lot, Fitz. Yeah, my parents have money and I didn't go through a lot of the same crap that you did but it hasn't always been a walk in the park, either. Since day one, I've been constantly pushed to be number one and reminded that anything less than that is unacceptable—that I'm unacceptable unless I'm absolutely perfect."

"Well, at least, you have parents that care about what you do with your life. My dad told me on a regular basis that I was a piece of shit son and that I shouldn't even try to go to college or amount to any respectable position. The whole reason I'm here is because he didn't want to have anything to do with me anymore, because he gave up on me. But you're good enough, you're always going to be good enough because your parents won't give up on you. So, stop being a big baby about it. Since when is basically being a princess such a crappy thing?"

He strikes a nerve in her and for a moment she gets really pissed. "Screw you, Fitz," she grumbles, opening the car and getting out.

He follows suit, opening his door and following her as she heads back for her house. "Really, Olivia? So, you didn't like what I had to say and you're just going to walk away. That's mature."

She spins on her heel, her blood boiling even more. "Shut up, Fitz! You know, I came out here because I was concerned about you and I wanted to know what was going on so that I could maybe help, not so that you could start accusing me of being a stuck up brat. I believe in hard work to get what you want in life, I've always been a hard worker—"

"I know," he grunts, slowly walking towards her in a way that was giving her goosebumps like before.

"You don't know shit…you…" she stops her tirade as he stops just a foot in front of her, staring down at her with a desirous look in his eyes. She opens her mouth but no sound comes out as she's stunted by his beautiful luminous blue eyes and his Greek godlike features and how it felt like every inch of her body was drawn to his in this moment. She places her hands on his chest and pushes against him, wanting him to go away and so that she could regain control of her brain, but instead she clasps his shirt and pulls him closer while he simultaneously grips her face and presses his lips to hers. She lets out a delighted moan at the taste of his warm, soft lips and breathes him in, wanting more. She allows his tongue to make contact with hers as all her anger and frustration melts away and she's just left with just desire. His hands fall down to her hips, his fingertips only inches from her ass as he pushes her back onto a car, disregarding the fact that an alarm could go off. All they were focused on was each other.

He holds her confidently and possessively, like he would never let her go, pressing their bodies closer together as their tongues and mouths engage in a fiery dance. When he pulls away, leaving her mouth with a sudden gust of cool air, she gasps for his lips to return to her, like she was suffocating and he was the air that she needed. But she quickly calms down when he presses his forehead to hers and breathes her in until their panting matches.

He makes eye contact with her. "You are sexy as _hell_ when you're pissed," he whispers, biting down on her lip and letting it slip through his teeth. By now her panties were soaked and she could hardly help how much she wanted him but something told her this wasn't the time and it definitely wasn't the place.

"Hey, what are you two doing by that car?" Olivia and Fitz glance to their left and right respectively and see the patrolling officer approaching them, shining a flashlight in their direction.

"Sorry, sir, we're going. It's all good," Fitz says, taking Olivia's hand and heading back for the truck. He opens the door to the backseat and pulls her in with him. She shuts the door once they're in and waves at the officer with a mischievous grin on her face. The officer frowns at them, shines his light on the car they had their make-out session on and heads back down the street.

Olivia and Fitz both let go of the breaths they didn't know they were holding in and that's when Olivia realizes she's pressed up against Fitz's chest and he's rigidly holding her at the waist, hugging her to him. She never thought she could feel so at peace and content in someone's arms, especially in the arms of the very person she was about to cuss out only a few minutes ago, but it was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. For a while they just sit there like that in silence, listening to each other's breathing and the sound of their matching heartbeats. Fitz eventually breaks the quiet, whispering, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" She breathes.

"For saying you were stuck up. I know you're a hard worker. I can just tell from your personality," he says, brushing his lips over her temple, almost like a kiss. "You fight hard for what you earn and you deserve every bit of it."

Guilt creeps its way into her conscious as well and after a bit of hesitation, she apologizes, "I'm sorry for almost going ham on you earlier. You didn't deserve that. You were just trying to give it to me straight. I guess sometimes I can be ungrateful."

"You're forgiven," he tells her with a smile. She returns the gesture but they're interrupted a second time, again with a bright light shining in their faces.

"Okay, this cop needs to get a new hobby," Fitz mutters as they both shield their eyes against.

"I found her—or should I say them," hollers a voice that Olivia would know anywhere.

"Oh, my gosh…shit!"

"What?" Fitz asks, equally panicked, but his question is answered when the bright light, this time not from a flashlight but from a smartphone, vanishes and Olivia and Fitz see Abby along with all of her other friends staring them down with big goofy grins on their faces.

"Shit," Olivia and Fitz say together.


	5. Someone Like You

**Yep, another chapter :) Enjoy!**

**Chapter 5: Someone Like You**

It was now three in the morning and everyone was long gone, except for Abby who was staying the night and lying in bed right next to her, but the events of the night still swirled around in her brain, keeping her up. It wasn't the embarrassment she felt or the walk of shame she made out of Fitz's car when they had been caught in each other's arms or the countless taunts she received from her friends, but everything before that. Her discussion—more like argument with Fitz that quickly turned into a hot and steamy kiss. She could still remember the taste of his lips on hers and the feeling of being pressed up against him. She loved how confident he was with her, pulling him into her like he was just as drawn to her body as he was to hers and holding her like he would never let go. She wonders if he was still going on about her into the early hours of the morning in the same way, or maybe just fallen asleep like on any other night because it didn't really mean that much to him. He had been with a lot of girls before her so it wouldn't surprise her if the latter were true.

She sees her phone light up on her nightstand so she reaches over and grabs it to see what the notification is and it ends up being a text from Fitz.

Her heartrate speeds up and she swipes the screen quickly, eager to read his message. It says simply: _Hi_

She pauses, wondering if she should text back but it only takes her about a minute to make her decision, with the urge of wanting to talk to him being too strong. She peeks a look at Abby who is fast asleep and snoring lightly and then texts: _Hi…what are you doing up?_

_Fitz: I could ask you the same ; )_

She smiles: _I couldn't sleep_

Fitz: _Neither could I_

Olivia: _So you texted me_

Fitz: _You don't want me to…_

Olivia: _No that's not it_

She stops mid-sentence, not knowing how to word what she was feeling. She was surprised and somewhat excited that one of his thoughts in the middle of the night had been to talk to her. He had been affected in the same way as her.

Olivia: _I wanted to talk to you to bt I was a little nervous_

Fitz: _Why? Bc of tonight?_

Olivia: yeah…

Fitz: _Doesn't mean it has to be awkward btwn us. I liked it. A lot._

Her heart swells with happiness and relief at this. So, he had enjoyed kissing her as much as she had him too.

Olivia: _Me too_

Fitz: :) _Are you free tomorrow?_

Olivia: _Yeah why?_

Fitz: _Let's do something…or I guess it's today now since it's already 3am lol_

Olivia: _Lol ok like what?_

Fitz: _How bout a picnic on the beach or somethin? Say 11am_

Was he asking her out this time, as in on a real date and not the sort-of date they had gone on to the sandwich place? She had been waiting to try out this really cute, sexy white bikini set that she bought a while back and this would be the perfect opportunity. She knew she'd look irresistible in it but would it be too much for just a basic date like this one?

Fitz texts back after her longer than usual silence: _Or we could do something else…_

She quickly replies before he begins to doubt himself: _Beach picnic sounds perfect actually =)_

Fitz: _Great. Should I pick you up?_

She was concerned about her father finding out she was hanging out with Fitz, but maybe if he didn't pick her up right in front of the house they would be fine.

Olivia: _Sure. Just park a few houses down_

Fitz: _Ah…right I forgot about daddy Pope ; )_

Olivia chuckles:_ Should I bring anything? I can bring blankets, towels, sunscreen, etc and some food_

She wanted to volunteer to bring everything, mostly because of the conversation they had yesterday. She didn't want to treat him like he was dirt poor and needed handouts because she knew his situation wasn't that bad and also that he wouldn't take it well, but she still wanted to contribute.

Fitz: _It's fine Livvie I'll handle everything but bring whatever you want along_

'Livvie'? That was a first. She liked it and she knew she would love the sound of his nickname for her even more when she actually heard it roll off of his lips.

Olivia: _Ok. This is going to be fun!_

_Fitz: =) I can't wait to see you_

Her heart flutters in her chest at this, making her squirm in the bed and accidentally bump Abby awake.

Abby groans, opening her eyes and squinting them against the phone light. "Ugh, Liv, what are you doing? Do you know what time it is? Who are you texting?"

Olivia looks the other way so that Abby can't see the guilt on her face but this gives her away. Abby pauses as the realization hits her and rolls her eyes. "You're talking to _him_? Girl…"

"It's not a big deal, Abby," Olivia tells her. She turns back to her phone and begins to text Fitz goodbye: _Sorry but I have to go before Abby chews my face off. She's sleeping over &amp; I accidentally woke her talking to you so she won't let me hear the end of it._

Fitz: _Haha I see. I'll let you go then. Goodnite Livvie_

She grins at that name again: _Goodnite Fitz_.

"Look, I know he's charming and everything but that's like the number one trait of fuckboys. I'm just telling you to be careful."

"He's not just another fuckboy. There's something deeper in there. I've seen it in him and I like it. If I can just get him to open up more then you'll see the real him."

"Yeah, well, hopefully you can get to doing that before he opens _you_ up. If you know what I'm saying…"

Olivia takes one of her throw pillows and smacks Abby with it. "Shut up."

"Ow! Like you haven't thought about it. I bet you every girl who's seen him has. Even I wouldn't mind hitting that but when it comes to having a real relationship, there's nothing there. Guys like him would rather jump off a cliff than commit."

"Those are some harsh thoughts," Olivia says, getting a little offended even on Fitz's behalf. "I thought you liked Fitz."

"I do, but you're my friend first and foremost. And I don't want you rushing into anything with him and getting hurt. What were you guys even talking about?"

Olivia just sighs and shakes her head, scooting back into the bed and making herself comfortable. "Nothing."

She knows Abby is rolling her eyes as she settles back into bed but she doesn't care. She was being careful. She knew Fitz already had a rep for being a player but in the time she had spent with him, something else had attracted her. She knew there was a real, substantive, emotional person in Fitz. He could be soft, sweet, and vulnerable, and while she knew it might take a lot to get that out of him for others to see, she was willing to try.

* * *

Fitz got up four hours later that morning, those four hours being the total amount of sleep he got, but after talking to Olivia and securing their day together, he had slept like a baby, and just the idea of getting to spend the day with her gave him more than enough energy.

He went to the kitchen and packed a bag full of water bottles, sandwiches, and some none perishable leftovers from previous the previous night that Nancy wanted out of the fridge. He also packs blankets, towels, and everything else they might need. Everyone in the house could see he was really focused on all his preparations but when Nancy asked what was up, he vaguely explained that he was 'just hanging at the beach'. He didn't know how she would react to him spending the day with just Olivia, what with the warning she had given him about knocking someone up, and in all honesty, he didn't think it was any of her business. Regardless of what anyone said, he was going to try and find ways to spend time with Olivia, even if her dad wanted nothing to do with him. He admits he had been rather rude during their first and second encounters but truthfully, he thought Eli deserved it, especially the second time.

He parks by the street about 300 meters from her house and then texts her that he's here and a minute later, he sees her coming down the sidewalk with her hands full. He hops out of the car and jogs down to her to give her some help.

"I brought plenty of blankets and towels," he tells her as he takes most of her stuff, leaving her with just a bag to carry and a jug of what looked like lemonade.

"I know, but I just wanted to be as prepared as possible."

"You know, this isn't a camping trip," he points out teasingly.

"Shut up," she says, glaring at and elbowing him which makes him laugh. "I'm a type A personality, I like to be prepared and make sure things go smoothly."

He grins at her self-conscious expression as he puts her things in the truck. "Well, I hope this day goes smoothly as well," he says, opening her door for her. She seems surprised at this gesture, most likely because she's never had anyone do that for her before but she smiles thankfully at him, giving Fitz some reassurance that things were starting off well.

Once they arrive, they try and find an area of the beach that's sectioned off pretty well from the few other people that were there and luckily they had picked a good day to come because there was hardly anyone.

They eat once they get settled in and when they're finished, Olivia praises him for the food. "I had no idea. I love a man who can cook," she tells him as she finishes her potato salad and then gives him a wink.

He laughs. "Actually my aunt made this. She's the master cook."

"You know, most guys would've just ran with it and took all the credit for themselves," she tells him.

"I'm not most guys," he replies smartly.

She nods. "Touché."

He stretches out and then asks, "So, what do you want to do now?"

"We should probably wait a bit before swimming…why don't we build sand castles?" She asks enthusiastically.

He chuckles. "You really want to?"

"Yeah, I haven't done it in a while. My friends think it's lame and boring…and maybe you do to."

"No, I don't. It sounds fun," he assures her, putting that beautiful smile back on her face.

They go get some water to wet the sand and then start sculpting. They get really into it, building an entire detailed and intricate kingdom and Fitz notices that he ends up having more fun with it than Olivia who, after about an hour and a half of sculpting, suddenly stopped and is now just staring at Fitz focus and work. He looks up at once her finishes drawing some designs with a stick on the outer wall of the their castle and asks, "What?"

"You're really good at this—I mean like artsy things. You actually built most of it," she tells him. "Do you do this a lot?"

"Build sandcastles? No, but I don't know, I like to draw sometimes," he says nonchalantly, playing down his skill when in fact he did it regularly and had even drawn a few portraits of Olivia.

"I doubt it's only sometimes. You went to work on this castle like Picasso," she says with a short laugh.

He smiles but feels a little self-conscious. He'd really never told anyone about his artistic side and he definitely had never been praised for it, and the fact that the praise was coming from her made it all the better. "If you want I can show you some time," he offers.

She nods. "That would be awesome." She then lies back on her towel and Fitz follows suit, lying down and then turning his head to face her, only to find that she's already staring at him. As he stares into her big brown gorgeous eyes, it's as if everything around him stops and it's just him and her and that's all that matters. His eyes fall down to her lips and he remembers all over again how amazing their kiss yesterday had been and hopes to have another opportunity soon.

But she looks away, up towards the sky and scoots in closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder. He inhales the scent of her shampoo and can't really name the smell but he loves it. He lightly kisses her hairline and closes his eyes.

* * *

Olivia can't help but smile as she stares at Fitz, fast asleep, his strong features soft and relaxed as he rests. She had been up for a good forty minutes, not wanting to wake him because he looked so peaceful and, as strange as it sounded, she liked watching him sleep because it was calming to her as well. But in this time, she had also managed to entertain herself by decorating his entire face with seashells.

A few minutes later he opens his eyes and flashes the sexiest smile she's ever seen at her. If she could wake up to something like this every morning, her life would be complete.

"Hey," he says groggily, sitting up but a look of confusion registers as the seashells fall from his face. He looks up at her, making her gasp when she sees what happened to his face.

"What?" He asks, panicking. She bites her lip, struggling not to laugh as she stares at the sunburned shape of seashells on his face.

"Uh…it'd probably be best for me to show you," she says quietly, putting her phone into selfie mode and then showing it to him.

He frowns at the image of his seashell-burnt face. "What happened?" He asks calmly, looking up at her, already knowing the answer.

She tries to contain her laughter but every time she looks at him, it only increases.

"Oh, you think this is funny?" He says, scooting closer to her. She stands up and slowly backs up as he eyes her like a mouse.

"I'm sorry," she says, out of breath.

"Mmm, we'll see…" he says, jumping up and chasing after her as she races away from him.

He catches up to her quickly and grabs her up by her waist, making her squeal. He puts her on his shoulder in a fireman's carry and starts heading for the water.

"Fitz, I'm sorry!" She yells.

"I'm sure you are."

"Please, Fitz! It was an accident!" She tells him amidst her giggling but he doesn't budge. He walks into the water and keeps going until he's thigh deep and then begins to pull her down from his shoulder.

"Fitz, I swear I'll kill you if you drop me!" She screams.

"Wow, Livvie, now you're making threats?" He says amusedly. She holds on tightly to his neck and is about to say something when they're hit with a huge wave and Fitz is swept off his feet, making them tumble into the water.

She and Fitz wash up right next to each other and burst into laughter and coughing fits from the unexpected wave as the water recedes. She splashes him with water and hops away from him as their little game continues. They end up in a splashing episode, chasing each other around in the water, becoming utterly soaked. Olivia didn't even plan to wet her hair since she had just gotten it done a couple days ago but in this moment it was all worth it.

They both get out of the water momentarily to take off their regular clothes, which were now heavy and baggy with water. She slips off her shirt and shorts, turning her back to Fitz as she does so but when she turns around he has all his attention focused on her body. He licks his lips and she mentally pats herself on the back for going with this swimsuit.

She takes note of his muscular chest and abdomen and how he looks like those Abercrombie &amp; Fitch models she and Abby would always wished for, taken right out of a magazine. And right now, her wish had finally come true.

She throws her clothes down and then makes a dash back for the ocean, telling him, "Catch me if you can," with a seductive tone and look in her eyes. He wastes no time coming after her, jogging after her back into the water and then stopping abruptly a few feet away.

She looks back at him intensely making eye contact and then says the first thing that comes to mind—what she's wanted him to do all day. "Kiss me."

He doesn't even hesitate, taking three short strides before planting his lips on hers and kissing her with everything in him. She nearly stumbles back from the intensity but he catches her, holding her closely towards him. She runs her fingers through his hair, getting the perfect feel of his luscious brown curls that were just as soft and full as she dreamed they would be. He pulls back, allowing them to both catch some air but keeps his grip on her hand and pulls her into him. They serenely hold on to each other and stare out into the ocean.

After their time in the water, they go back and relax on the sand, but their appetites for each other are only enhanced. Olivia was never much of a lover or supporter of PDA, but with the way Fitz was making her feel, she couldn't help herself. They had been all over each other since that first kiss in the water and neither of them felt like stopping anytime soon.

They were now on their towels, engaged in a hot and intense make out session. He sat up, running his hands over her thighs as she sits on his lap with her legs wrapped around his waist. She gives him one more kiss, slowly sliding her lips away from his. But he continues, caressing her jawline and sneaking his way down to her neck. He moves slowly, nipping at her skin with soft, open kisses. She can't help but release a moan when he pulls back smiles at her. He has such a perfect and easy smile, it spreads across his face like melting butter and with his gentle blue eyes focused so intently on her, if it weren't for her dark complexion she would be red as a tomato.

He takes her hands and matches them palm to palm. She pushes against him and he pushes back, chuckling and then pecking her lips once more.

She bites her lip nervously before slowly asking, "So…what does this mean?"

He tilts his head. "What do you mean?"

She tries to clarify, "Us…what are we?"

He shrugs. "We're friends."

She raises her eyebrows at him. "We just had a full-on make-out session and right now I'm straddling you. That sounds like a lot more than just friends," she says, surprised by his response.

"You want to be a couple?" He questions, getting her drift.

"I don't know…do you?"

He shrugs again. "I've never really done the dating thing before. I know that sounds bad but hookups are kind of all I know how to do."

A look of hurt flashes across her face. "So I'm just another hookup to you?" She asks as she slowly slides off of him, thinking Abby was right and fearing that she wasted her time.

He grips her hands tighter before she can move too far away. "Liv, no, you're more than that—_a lot_ more than that to me. I just…I'm afraid to commit, I'm afraid that I'm going to disappoint you. And I don't think I could belong to anyone in that way."

"You won't know unless you try. And I think just having a life of hookups and no other emotional connections is far more disappointing than trying to make something stick with someone." She pauses and then shakes her head, tearing her hands from his and standing up. "Let's just go back," she says, dejectedly looking away, ready to pack up her things.

He gets up too and sighs, knowing he messed up. "Liv, don't leave it like this…"

She turns back to face him with pain and anger in her eyes. "Like what? You've made yourself perfectly clear. You don't want to date me, you just want to screw me and be done with it."

"No, I don't. And to be honest, if I wanted to just screw you I would've tried to do it already, I had a ton of opportunities to do it today, but I held myself back from taking it further because like I said, you're more than that to me. You're not like the other girls I've been with. I don't feel the need to have sex with you to like you. If I can just hang out with you and talk and kiss and just be with you…I'm ecstatic. And if that's what dating is, then I guess that's what I want. But I don't want to hurt you either if I don't live up to your expectations."

"I don't have high expectations, Fitz. I want lazy, romantic days on the beach like this, too. That's enough for me. We can take things slow."

He nods and tries at a small smile and she does the same. He walks over to her, hooking his arm around her waist and pulling her in. "I'm sorry," he says.

"Look, Fitz, I like you a lot, too, but I only want to be with you if you only want to be with me. And only me. And I just want you to be honest with me. Those are my only expectations," she tells him firmly but affectionately.

"I'm more than good with that," he agrees, pecking her nose and making her giggle. He grins but grows serious. "So…does this mean we're a couple?" He asks timidly as if he's double checking.

She laughs at how adorable his uncertainty is. "Yes."

He beams and then picks her up and spins her around and kisses her lips one more time then puts her down. "I know I'm not perfect, but I'm going to do my best."

She smiles. "That's all I want."

**I hope you all enjoyed that. Leave your thoughts for me and thanks for reading!**


	6. Missing You

**Chapter 6: Missing You**

It was about 9pm on Monday night and after Fitz had gotten ready for bed after a long day at work, he wanted so much to just crash on his bed and go right to sleep but his day wouldn't be complete if he didn't get to see and talk to Olivia at least once, since they had been separated that whole day.

"Hi," he greets as they skype, thinking she looked absolutely gorgeous in a peach spaghetti strap tank top and her hair done up in a high ponytail in its natural state. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," she says, trying to smile back but he can see that she's upset about something. "What's wrong?"

She shakes her head and glances away sadly, looking embarrassed. "My mom got angry at me for getting my hair wet and messing it up because now it's in its natural state. I hate how they treat me like I'm still ten years old."

"Seriously? I think your hair looks really nice like that," he tells her truthfully. "Do you always straighten it?"

She smiles at his compliment and nods to his question. "My mom has this ridiculous notion that black women aren't taken as seriously in the real world if we don't look 'groomed'."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"Right? Try telling her that. She was yelling at me and giving me ultimatums and then, of course, once my dad found out what was going, he took her side. Now I'm grounded until I can get a hair appointment which is…Wednesday."

"Wednesday? They're going to keep you trapped in the house for two more days?" He asks, his mouth agape in disbelief and she nods.

"That's freakin insane…I wanted to see you," he tells her dejectedly.

"We can still skype," she reminds him but they both know the situation still sucks.

"It's not the same. I won't be able to hug or kiss my girlfriend for another two days…"

She gets butterflies in her stomach at hearing him call her his 'girlfriend'. "You'll live," she assures him with a wink. "When I move out of here once and for all, I'll be able to style my hair however I want and there's nothing they can do about it. I'll even send them pictures of me with my team natural hair every day just to bug them."

Fitz chuckles, but deep down he wonders how things will be when she goes off to college. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was starting to get really attached to Olivia. She was always on his mind and right now the idea of spending just two days physically apart from her made his body ache. They had only officially started their relationship just the day before and if his attraction continued to grow for her as much as it was every day, the fact that she could be away from him for months at a time was unbearable. _Maybe I could come with her but would she want that? Of course she would, right?_

"Fitz, are you okay?" She asks, staring at him strangely.

He waves it off. "Yeah, I'm fine," he tells her, reaching his hands back onto the headboard of his bed and stretching to shake off his worry.

Olivia watches as his bare chest rises and falls and his abdominal muscles flex, showing all the definition in his upper body. She bites her lip as she scans all the way down to the edge of the screen where his torso ends.

"What?" He asks, seeing the odd way she was gazing at him.

"Are you…naked?" She asks with a shy but devious smile.

He smirks back at her. "No, only shirtless. It's hot as hell in this room."

"Oh…"

"Are you disappointed?" He asks teasingly, pressing her.

She chuckles nervously. "No," she says in a voice as small as a mouse's.

He bursts out into laughter. "You're adorable."

She glares at him. "If you were here right now, you would've gotten a pillow to the face."

He flashes her cheesy grin and then says seriously, "I wish I was there with you right now."

"Me, too. Talk about something. Anything. I just want to hear your voice," she tells him, making herself comfortable in her bed and lying down, her head still faced towards him. "How was your day?"

He smiles at her serene disposition which also calms him and then begins to recount the events of his day. It had been pretty boring and slow but since she just wanted to hear him speak, he went into detail. After about ten minutes he could see that she was starting to fall asleep so he stops and whispers, "Goodnight, Livvie."

She opens her eyes a little wider and then tells him sleepily, "Goodnight, Fitz."

He goes offline, puts his phone on his nightstand, and turns the light off, knowing he was also going to sleep well.

* * *

The next morning Fitz was up early, getting ready for the day and for work but as he stared at himself in the bathroom mirror he didn't know what to do about his seashell sunburns that didn't seem to be going away.

He had gone to work with them the day before and Huck and Jason had given him crap for it but he had been strictly doing mechanical stuff so he didn't really have to see anyone else, though he wasn't sure it would be the same case today.

As he finishes shaving, he turns his head and sees Sarah standing in the door way looking up curiously at him.

"What?" He asks.

"I can help," she tells him simply.

He sighs. "How?"

"Hold on a sec," she says, holding finger out to him and then disappearing. She comes back several seconds later with her hands full of what looks like make-up.

"No way," Fitz says with a dismissive shake of his head.

"Oh, come on, I promise it works! My mom uses it all the time to hide marks on her face. It's called conseller or something."

"You mean concealer? And how do you even know how to use that? Aren't you a little too young to be using make-up?"

She leans over closer to him and whispers even though they were the only ones in the house at the moment, "Sometimes I use it when she's not around. I've been practicing and I'm real good now!"

Fitz groans, knowing this whole ploy was ridiculous but if it could help cover up the sunburns until his skin went back to normal, he was interested.

"We have to hurry before my mom or Teddy comes," she says, bouncing with urgency.

"Okay, okay…how does this work?" He asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Just stand right there," she orders, prancing into the bathroom and hopping onto the toilet seat to reach his face. She forcefully grabs his face with her two considerably small hands and positions him where she wants, commanding, "Stay still."

She goes to work on him, periodically allowing him to see her progress and Fitz agrees that it's working. He gets a little suspicious however when she starts working around his eyebrows. "What are you doing there?"

"I'm trimming your eyebrows. Don't worry, they'll look so on fleek once I'm done," she assures him, making him chuckle.

As she continues, another concern comes to mind. "Why are you helping me anyway?"

"Because you need help. You look like a character from SpongeBob."

He frowns at her and says dryly, "Ha ha, thanks a lot."

She smiles and then after a few minutes resumes talking, "So, you and Olivia are boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

"What?" Fitz asks, wondering where she got that from.

"I heard you guys talking last night." She shrugs.

"You were spying on me? I had the door closed."

"It's not like I'm going to go telling anyone! I can keep a secret if that's what you want."

"That is what I want. It's not anyone else's business, especially your mom's."

"What's not my business?" They hear from the bathroom entrance. They both gasp and turn to see Nancy, staring at them suspiciously. "What are you guys doing?"

"Uh…nothing," Sarah rushes to say, quickly getting off the toilet seat and trying to put the make-up away.

"Are you…putting make-up on Fitz?" She asks.

Fitz sighs. "It isn't what it looks like."

Nancy lets out a small laugh. "You're trying to hide your sunburn, aren't you? Putting make up on is only going to make it worse. It's going to create blotches on your skin and cause it to peel. Just put some aloe lotion on, I have some in my room and it works like a charm."

"Oh…"

"Whose idea was this anyway?"

"I was just trying to help Fitz look good," Sarah chimes in.

"Why, so he can charm all the townie girls?" Nancy asks mockingly. "I bet he thinks his life would be over if any of them saw him like this."

"He doesn't have to charm them because he already has a—"

"You know, I should get going to work," Fitz says abruptly, interrupting Sarah before she could say anymore. He gives her a look, telling her to keep her mouth shut and her mouth forms into a wide 'o' as she realizes her mistake. "But thanks for the tip. I'll use that aloe lotion."

And with that he leaves for work before he can be interrogated any further.

* * *

Olivia could hardly wait for Wednesday to come so that she could finally get her hair appointment and stop being treated like a prisoner in her own home. She drives herself to her hairdresser's house around noon for the appointment and parks in the driveway of the house and walks up to the door, knocking. And within seconds she hears, "Come in, sweetie, the door's unlocked!"

She smiles and lets herself in to sees her hairdresser, Cynthia, getting her tools ready in the kitchen. "Livia, come here, girl, let me see that hair!"

Cynthia had been Olivia's hairdresser since she was a toddler. Cynthia did have any children and over the years they had forged a bond and relationship so strong that Olivia saw Cynthia as her second mom—one she could tell almost anything and who didn't go all warden on her ass when she did something as little as mess up her hair.

"You know, I could've been a complete stranger and you just let me come in," Olivia tells her.

"No one comes to my door that I don't expect already. Don't worry about it. If anything happens, I'm packing," Cynthia says with a sure smile. At first glance she didn't seem like the type of woman to carry a gun or to even own one, but the more you really knew her, the more you saw her independent personality and how she took pride in being able to take care of herself.

After washing her hair and blow-drying, Cynthia gets to work, taking her time and raking the hot comb through Olivia's hair delicately and with cautiousness.

"You should've heard the conversation your mom and I had over the phone—well, actually, it was less of a conversation since she did most of the talking and more of an annoyed rant," Cynthia says with a chuckle.

Olivia rolls her eyes. "I can't stand her sometimes."

"Hey, you only get two parents. Even if they drive you crazy you have to appreciate them," Cynthia points out.

"I know but they just make it so hard sometimes. I can't wait until I'm of here…" Olivia says, but in the back of her mind she wonders how it will affect her and Fitz's relationship. What if they were just a summer fling? She pushes the thought from her mind, thinking it was something to contemplate for another day.

"I know, my little Yale student!" Cynthia cheers. "I always knew you were destined for greatness. But remember to keep in contact with me and come back to visit when you can."

"Of course I will. You don't even have to ask."

Cynthia smiles and moves on to another topic. "So, how'd you get your hair wet anyway? I know you know better than to shower or swim without a cap."

"Yeah, I do, I just got a little carried away, I guess…" Olivia says truthfully.

"What do you mean?"

She hesitates slightly before saying, "Well, I went to the beach with this guy—he's my boyfriend now, actually, and we were just splashing around in the water and I just kinda forgot."

"Boyfriend? Oh, I should've known…" Cynthia says in a devious tone. "So who is this handsome boy that's managed to catch my Livia's heart? He's not a townie, is he?"

"No—well, not exactly. He's from New Jersey but he's spending the summer with his aunt here…I really like him," Olivia says, feeling butterflies in her stomach just thinking about Fitz.

"I can see that. You endured the wrath of your mother for him so I know he holds a special place in your heart. As long as he treats you right, and remember not to move too fast."

Olivia nods, agreeing that she and Fitz would move to the next level of their relationship when they were both ready. "You want to see a picture?" She asks, whipping out her phone. "This one was this past weekend at the beach. I decorated his face with seashells while he was sleeping."

"Liv!" Cynthia chastises.

"I know, I felt bad after I saw what happened. The sunburn is taking a while to go away, but I think he still looks really cute," Olivia says, grinning. She shows Cynthia the picture of Fitz that she had managed to take while he slept on the beach.

"Oh, he's a cute one! Look at that head of hair! And that jawline—if I was still your age, lord…"

"Oh, my gosh, don't even say that!" Olivia tells her as they both laugh. "He's all mine."

"I want to meet him—not for _that_ reason, but just to make sure he's good enough for you. You deserve the best."

"He _is_ good enough for me. Sometimes he can be a tough cookie and he acts like a hardhead around other people but that's because he's been through a lot. He's actually really sweet."

Cynthia puts her hands up in a small surrender. "Okay, I believe you. But I'd still like to meet him. How about your parents? How do they feel about him?"

"Um…they love him!" Olivia says uneasily. She never really lied to Cynthia but she didn't want to have to tell her why her parents, specifically her father, disliked Fitz. She'd think he wasn't good for her and Olivia wanted at least one person's approval. She hadn't even told Abby yet, knowing she would also flip. Eventually she would come clean with everyone, but now wasn't the time.

"Oh, that's great! He must be really charismatic, then. I used to think your parents were impossible to charm."

Olivia chuckles nervously. "Yeah…me, too." Too bad they still are.

* * *

Olivia quickly rushed home, getting ready to go meet Fitz but she was hit with yet another disappointment as her mom informed her that the Floridian shower storms were starting up this afternoon and she would have to wait until the weather calmed down to even leave the house. Of course, Olivia could've just worn a hoodie like any other normal person, but when it came to her parents', there was no bargaining.

She texts Fitz: _Can I call you?_

And he responds almost immediately: _Yeah_

She calls and he answers on the first ring, "What's up?"

"Hey, look, I wanted us to do something but it's going to start raining soon and my mom won't let me leave until it stops."

"Well…I can come to you."

"You're coming here? Are you insane?"

"I'm going to see you, Livvie. Whether anyone likes it or not. I just bought some Chinese food from that really good place downtown. Chinese food is perfect for rainy days."

"You did?"

"Yep. In fact, I'm waiting right outside your house right now."

"Fitz!" She exclaims in a hushed voice. She leaves her room and looks out a window facing the front of the house and sure enough, Fitz's car is parked about a hundred yards down the street.

"I can't believe you!"

"You can't send me back home now. I even brought you delicious food…_come out and play with me, Livvie_," he teases her, his voice sounding deeper and more seductive on the last phrase.

She groans out of frustration and desire. She knew she should probably just stay inside and wait out the rain since it would only last for a few hours but Fitz had bought them food and come all the way out to be with her. And just the idea of snuggle up to him and finally being able to touch him was enough to convince her to find a way to make it work.

"Okay, so I have an idea," she says, going back to her room and getting a blanket and pillow from her bed. "There's this treehouse behind my house. I was thinking we could hang out there since there would be no way for me to get you in here with the cameras my dad has set up all around the house, but there aren't any cameras around the treehouse. Technically I wouldn't be leaving the grounds so my mom wouldn't get too upset and…I can see you for as long as we want."

"Perfect. I think I see the treehouse," Fitz says as his car door closes on the other end. "So, I can just walk straight there?"

"Yeah, but stay to the edge of the fence on the right side. The cameras don't reach that far," she instructs him.

"Alright, I'll see you soon, Livvie." He hangs up and for a second Olivia just has to sit on her bed and contain her excitement of seeing him. She stands up after calming herself, texts her mom that she'll be in the tree house, puts on a hoodie just in case the rain starts early, and grabs her things, tiptoeing past her parents' room where her mom was currently taking a nap and heading downstairs. She makes the brief trek across the back lawn to her treehouse, where Fitz is already waiting and getting situated. As soon as he sees her, his eyes light up and he helps her up the ladder, taking the stuff weighing her down from her.

Once she reaches the top, he sweeps her up in his arms, spinning around and letting his hands settle on her hips as their lips are drawn to each other in a fervent kiss. He continues to hold her, saying, "Hi."

"Hi." Right as she says that, they hear a rumble of thunder and it starts pouring outside as the afternoon summer rain hits. But as she and Fitz gaze into each other's eyes, just happy to be in each other's arms again even though they had only spend three days apart, what goes on around them doesn't even faze them.

"This is a nice place you have up here," Fitz compliments as they sit down on the carpet of the treehouse and get themselves settled with their food.

"Thank you. I try to keep it nice. So, how was your day?" She asks, scooting closer to him and laying her head on his shoulder as they dig through the small buckets of food.

"Boring for the most part. This is definitely the highlight of my day," he tells her, making her feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. "I see you got your hair done," he says, playing with a strand.

"Yep, so I won't have to be a prisoner anymore and we can actually do things like a normal couple. I see your sunburns are starting to fade. I still feel so bad, though!"

"Don't worry about it. Like you said, the seashells are starting to fade. Though, it could've turned out worse—I had Sarah try and help me by using make up. That didn't go as planned."

"You what?" Olivia asks in disbelief, laughing.

"She said she could help me," Fitz says, chuckling and blushing in embarrassment. "She said she made my eyebrows look on fleek," he tells Olivia, pointing to his eyebrows.

Olivia throws her head back in laughter. "Those definitely look on fleek, better than mine. She has talent."

"I know, right?"

"So, what happened after that?"

Fitz continues to recount the whole story to her and they spend the rest of the afternoon that way—talking, cuddling, and kissing, like nothing else in the world mattered.

**I hope you enjoyed that, especially the on fleek part (that's like my favorite phrase). Liv's parents are kind of assholes but that doesn't stop her and Fitz from finding ways to be together. What you think about Olitz wanting to keep things secret? Do you think it will backfire on them? How will things go for them after the summer ends? Other thoughts? Thanks for reading!**


	7. What's Love Got To Do With It?

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7: What's Love Got To Do With It?**

"So, we still need two more people," Olivia prods Fitz as they lounge casually in the back of his truck, parked under a large tree for shade, and play M.A.S.H. "We have Kanye West, Abby's cat, and me."

"Hmm…" he muses with that cute look he got on his face whenever he was really thinking hard or confused. "Oh, how about Kermit the Frog? We can sip tea and mind our own business together," he suggests with a smirk.

She laughs. "Okay, Kermit the Frog it is! And one more—I guess I'll let you have someone hot in the mix."

He creases his eyebrows. "Someone hot?"

"Yeah, like…Channing Tatum!"

"Should I be offended that my girlfriend has a thing for Channing Tatum?" He questions, cocking his head.

She shakes her head. "Almost every girl has a crush on Channing Tatum, he's like the guy version of Megan Fox or Kerry Washington."

He nods. "Alright, I'll admit I have a soft spot for KW. Actually I think you and her look so alike."

She smiles shyly. "I get that a lot."

"Okay, so Channing Tatum. Is that it?"

"Yep, now pick a number."

"Um…five."

She counts up and crosses names and numbers off until she's left with the final choices. "Okay, so you will live in a shack with Kanye West and have a hundred kids, you're going to drive a pink Ferrari, you're going to live in France and your job will be being a Kardashian. Looks like you're the new Kim!"

"Oh, my gosh, kill me now…" He says, banging his head back as he chuckles.

"Hey, at least you have a Ferrari…a pink one," she points out amidst her laughter. He lunges at her, his hands going for her sides as he tickles her. "You think that's funny? At least I'm not lost at sea with Justin Bieber."

"Oh, my gosh, Fitz stop!" She squeals through her giggling, tears pricking her eyes. He stops, hovering over her. "At least we live in a mansion."

He stares deeply into her eyes, suddenly becoming serious. "What?" Olivia asks.

"Nothing, I just think you're beautiful," he says simply. He puts her lips to hers before she can say or do anything, taking his time kissing her. She closes her eyes, returning the motion and letting her hands go for his incredibly soft and curly hair. She runs her fingers through it while his hands wonder up her thighs, making her skin tingle and feel like it was on fire, as his lips trail down to her chin and neck. She moans as he goes to work on that area, quickly finding her weak spot right below her chin and not showing any mercy. "You like that?" He asks against her skin, his voice lower than usual, causing an ache between her thighs.

"Uh…yes…" she groans. He nips her neck again and slides his hands higher up her thigh, cupping her ass as his lips go down to her chest and making her gasp. It felt so unbelievably good but she wasn't sure she was ready to go this far. She wanted him as much as it appeared he wanted her but they had agreed to take it slow and she just wanted everything to happen naturally and comfortably. It felt pretty natural and _very_ comfortable so maybe it was time…

Suddenly Fitz's phone rings in his back pocket but he doesn't skip a beat, continuing to show her affection and giving her all his attention until whoever it is calls for a second time. Olivia is about to urge him to go all the way with her when he stops and digs his phone out. They both sigh disappointedly as he mutters under his breath, "This better be important."

He answers the phone with a blunt, "Hello" but gains a more polite tone as he says, "Oh, hey, Jason…yeah I'm kinda busy." He looks back to Olivia but she motions that it's okay if they hang out another time. "Alright…yeah, I'll be there in like thirty minutes….bye."

"What is it?" Olivia asks.

"He wants me to go drop off something with a friend of his but it might take a while…sorry, Livvie," he tells her with an apologetic frown.

She shakes her head. "No, it's totally fine. We'll spend time together later," she says, giving him a reassuring smile and pecking his cheek. He squeezes her hand and they get up, packing their things from the back and getting into the car.

* * *

Since Olivia ended up having to do something with her parents, Fitz decided to hang out with Stephen, Charlie, and Harrison after work since Stephen had been urging him for over an hour to play some basketball with them. He asked if Huck could come along, since it seemed as if he didn't really know that many people in town too well and was a little afraid to come out of his shell, and the other guys said they were fine with it.

They drive up to Stephen's house, like Fitz had done a few times, now that he and Charlie and Stephen were becoming pretty good friends. He almost felt like he was really starting to belong in this town, having Olivia by his side and his new-found buddies, but he still got a sense of hostility from Harrison. Even as they divided into teams, with Charlie sitting out for now because there was an odd number of them and he was stoned as hell, Harrison had been quick to pick Stephen as his teammate and given both Fitz and Huck nasty looks as they started the game.

He didn't know why Harrison was being such a prick. It's not like Olivia and Fitz had told anyone they were dating just yet, so Fitz didn't see Harrison's reason to dislike him so much, but Fitz didn't care. For now, he was here to stay—and he would keep creaming Harrison's ass at basketball while he was at it.

The game starts off fairly cool, with no disputes or roughness, but that usually changed as things intensified. Huck was surprisingly good for someone who looked like he didn't engage in recreational activities and sports very often, and he and Fitz made a good team, working in sync. Fitz seemed to be on his A-game today, making almost all his 3-pointers and a surprise half-court shot that he argued should've been at least 4 points but Stephen argued back, saying that they were playing by the rules. Fitz and Huck were ahead by twelve points, as counted by Charlie, but they weren't too sure he was counting accurate since he was high as a kite so they took it upon themselves.

Things began to take a turn for the worst towards the end of the game when everyone was tired and both teams were beginning to get frustrated since they had made it so that the winners were the first team to seventy points and Stephen and Harrison had caught up, only two points behind but weren't making the shots the win, like Fitz and Huck.

Harrison has the ball and Fitz is guarding him but when Harrison tries to make a shot, Fitz smacks it straight down, using his height to his advantage. A furious, butt-hurt look flashes across Harrison's face but Fitz returns it with a shrug and says, "Sorry, dude."

He then takes the ball and dribbles it down the court. He's about to go in for a lay-up when out of nowhere, he feels two pairs of hands bulldoze him to the ground. Fitz lands roughly on his side, scraping his forearm and banging his elbow which sends a sharp pain up his arm, but he's quick to get up.

"Yo, Harry, what the hell?" Stephen exclaims.

Harrison shrugs, mimicking Fitz, "Sorry, dude."

"What the hell is your problem?" Fitz yells at Harrison, edging closer to him.

"I don't have a problem," he responds casually.

"You've been treating me like I personally wronged you since I got here and then you push me over like a little bitch just because I smacked your ball down. Looks like you really do have a problem, jackass."

"Why don't you go find some other friends and stop acting like you belong here, street rat?" Harrison shouts back.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Fitz says in a dangerously threatening tone, balling up his fists and creeping even closer to Harrison who looks terrified but holds his ground.

"Hey, guys, can we just calm down?" Stephen says, starting to get in the middle of them.

"Tell him that!" Fitz yells, gesturing at Harrison. "Maybe we can finish this game when Harrison stops acting like an ass."

"Go to hell!" Harrison spits back.

"What is your problem, really? Does this have to do with Olivia?" Fitz asks, thinking that was the only logical reason. "You're mad because she chose me over you?"

"What are you talking about?" He asks, looking genuinely confused but still pissed.

Fitz continues to taunt him, "She doesn't want anything to do with you, man. She's too good for a petty pussy like you. I know you've been crushing on her like some schoolgirl for your whole life, but she's mine now—she's _my_ girlfriend. And if you have a problem with that you can suck my d—"

Fitz is hit square in the jaw and the strike jars his head a little but he had been hit way harder than that in the past and he wasn't going down so easily. Fitz comes at him with speed, seeing red and unable to hold back his anger anymore, and returns the hit, this time right on Harrison's cheek. Harrison stumbles back and Fitz tackles him to the ground, now repeatedly delivering blows where he deemed fit. He does a sufficient amount of damage in little time before he's clumsily pulled away by Huck.

Fitz wipes his mouth and shakes his fist, having not used it in that way in a while and he feels it throbbing but the pain doesn't even bother him as he grumbles at Harrison, "You little shit!"

Harrison is stirring on the ground, carefully sitting up. He looks up and glares at Fitz but his gaze wavers as he looks down and throws up his entire dinner, then lays back down next to his puke.

"Hope you feel better, Harry," Fitz mocks. "Have anything else to say about the street rat, you son of a bitch? I'd love to hear it!"

"I think we should go," Huck mutters, grabbing Fitz is arm but Fitz shakes him off.

"What the hell…" Stephen mumbles, looking back between Harrison and Fitz with his eyes wide in panic, obviously overwhelmed and unsure of what to do. "Charlie, get your ass over here and help me clean this shit up!"

"Uh…what man?" Charlie asks, lying off to the side of the court and looking up at the sky, lost in his own world.

"Look, Fitz, just go, dude," Stephen tells him. "We'll take care of this. The last thing we need is another fight breaking out when Harry starts talking again."

"Come on, Fitz!" Huck says louder and firmer than before, tugging on Fitz and pulling him back.

"Whatever," Fitz grumbles, following Huck, grabbing their things, and hightailing it out of there.

* * *

If it weren't for the wonderfully delicious food that Miriam, the chef of the Pope residence, had cooked, Olivia would've fallen asleep at the dinner table. She was currently having the most boring meal with her parents who left her out of the loop of their mundane conversations as usual, except when they wanted to ask about school or work or test her knowledge of foreign and domestic affairs. It was times like these that she wished she hadn't grown up as an only child or at least could have friends over more often, but her parents liked their privacy and felt that anyone who wasn't in their three-part family was intruding.

She's about to stuff a slice of Italian sausage into her mouth when he phone starts buzzing on the dinner table from a phone call.

Her parents look towards her, clearly annoyed as her father says, "Olivia, how many times do I have to tell you to keep your electronics silent during meals?"

"Sorry, dad. I will," she says, putting the ringer on silent. As her parents go back to their conversation, she checks who the caller is and smiles at Fitz's name and a picture of a selfie they took a few days ago of her making a dorky face with her arms wrapped around his neck and him grinning sexily at the camera.

She decides to text him, letting the call go to voicemail: _I can't talk right now. Text me._

He replies within seconds: _No. I want to talk._

He sends another message right after: _please_

She wonders what could be so important and urgent that he couldn't just say it all through messaging. She decides to talk to him as he calls a second time, asking her parents if she could be excused and then hurrying outside to where they wouldn't be able to hear her.

"This better be good because I was in the middle of eating the best spaghetti I've had in my entire life," she tells him, but instead of the laugh she was expecting, she gets dead silence and knows that his reason is definitely serious.

"Babe, what's wrong?" She asks, her heart rate gradually increasing.

He lets out a deep sigh. "I…I screwed up tonight."

"Okay…tell me what you did?" She says calmly, but inside she's getting flustered.

"I was playing basketball at Stephen's and things got a little heated between me and Harrison and…I beat the shit out of him."

"You what?" She exclaims, hoping she misheard him.

"I literally beat the shit out of Harrison, he was throwing up and everything and…I'm scared. Wh-what if he's not okay, what if I really hurt him? Shit…" He trails off and she can tell he's starting to lose it on the other end. "I need you," he finally says.

"I'm here, Fitz," she assures him but she knows that's not what he means.

"No, I mean I need you here with me. Help me figure out what to do."

"Fitz, I-I don't know if I can…" She says, not sure if her parents would let her leave right in the middle of dinner without a good excuse.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think my parents will let me leave right now."

"Of course…it's always your parents," he says mockingly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asks, not liking his tone.

"Nothing. Forget I even asked then," he tells her coldly.

"Fitz, don't be like that. I want to be with you right now but…where are you right now?"

He sighs. "I'm in the parking lot of the auto-repair shop."

"Are you alone?"

"Huck was with me for a while but he left not too long ago. He was there when the fight happened, though I wouldn't call it much of a fight…" he tells her smugly. She rolls her eyes at the fact that he was still trying to be macho.

"Okay. I'll be there as soon as I can," she says, trying to figure out how she was going to get her parents to let her go.

"Thank you, Livvie."

* * *

Olivia arrives at the auto repair shop within twenty minutes, arriving sooner than Fitz expected she would have.

She parks right next to him and gets out, walking over to the other side of his truck and getting in on the passenger's side.

"Hi," he says, smiling lightly but she's more concerned with an area of his face as she reaches out touches his chin. He felt a little pain there but it was more of an annoyance. He feels the spot she touched and she cringes at his hand. "Fitz, your knuckles are all red."

"They're a little sore but it's fine. I promise. This isn't the first time I've been a fight," he says, reaching out to her with his other hand. She squeezes back but the worry never leaves her face.

"So, what exactly happened? You said you were playing basketball at Stephen's and it got heated between you and Harrison."

"Yeah, the stupid asshole attacks me out of nowhere because I knocked the ball out of his hand while we were playing and then he starts saying a bunch of crap and insulting me. He threw the first punch and then I just got so mad that I started pummeling him. Huck pulled me away and then we left. He got what he deserved."

"How badly hurt was he?" Olivia asks, seeming a little more concerned for Harrison.

"He got up pretty fast—well, to throw up, and then he just lied back down. I don't think I hurt him too bad…I know I sounded worried on the phone but that's just because I was panicking. I'm pretty sure I didn't cause any permanent damage. He'll be alright."

She shakes her head. "But you _could've_ seriously hurt or killed him, Fitz. I know you were angry and he was being a dumbass but he didn't deserve that. Harrison's all talk."

"All talk? He's the one who started this bullshit!" Fitz tells her, not believing that she was defending that douchebag. "He started the fight by tackling me and throwing the first punch. What was I supposed to do?"

"Not fight back, not stoop to his level. He was egging you on to see what you would do and you gave into him. You should've been the bigger person."

"I was the bigger person! I didn't engage with him for weeks even though I could see he clearly hated me because he saw me as a threat to keep him from fulfilling his silly fantasy of you and him together. All I did is set the record straight about us and he flipped."

"Set the record straight about us? You told him we were together? What, to get back at him for insulting you? Because you knew it would crush him. I thought we weren't going to tell anyone until the time was right, but you just disregarded that so that you could piss him off. You wanted that fight and you used me as a pawn to get it," she says disgustedly.

"Oh, come on, Olivia. There would've never been a right time. Maybe I was wrong for using our relationship to hurt him but I'm not sure you would've ever wanted to tell anyone about us."

"What do you mean? Of course I would've!"

"Really? Because I think you're embarrassed by me. Of course your parents can't know because then they'd cut you off from your endless supply of money and we couldn't have that," he says mockingly. "And your friends can't know either because once everyone finds out that Olivia Pope is dating the street rat, her perfect reputation is going to fall down the toilet!"

She stares back at him, her eyes burning holes right through his flesh in anger. "So, that's what you still think of me? That I'm this spoiled princess who can't be seen with a…'commoner'. Well, you know what, Fitz? Fuck you. You can figure this out on your own because I'm done." She opens the door and climbs out without another look at him and shuts the door as hard as possible, jolting the truck.

"So, that's it? You're just going to leave?" Fitz asks through the window.

"Yes!" She sits in her car, fumbling madly with her keys, but then she steps out and looks at him over the top of her car. "You know, I didn't want to tell anyone about us because news travels fast around here and I knew that if my parents found out it was you, they wouldn't let me see you. You already saw how they reacted when it was just my hair, this wouldn't be any different." She shakes her head and gets back into the car, turning it on, backing out and driving off, leaving Fitz all alone with his thoughts.

He knew he had gone too far with all his accusations and judgments of her, but he was just so shocked and mad at her for taking Harrison's side over hers. He had called her so that she could comfort and support _him_, not start accusing him for doing what he felt he had to do. This had all been a mistake.

As he drives home, he wonders if they were really done or if this was just one of those breaks that couples went through. He didn't want it to end like this and it's not like he would ever stop having feelings for her, but whatever the case, he needed the break to get his crap together and figure out what to do about the Harrison problem, because he didn't see that going away any time soon.

**So…Olitz has hit a snag in their relationship. Do you think Liv was right or that Fitz did the right thing? How will the Harrison problem be resolved? Other thoughts? Thanks for reading!**


	8. Mess of Things

**I know, I've been gone for awhile now but I'm going to try and power through to finish this story before I go off to school which is by late September, so expect more frequent updates :) Enjoy!**

**Chapter 8: Mess of Things**

Olivia had been pounding through the water hard for the past ten minutes. She needed the practice but it was also more of a destressifier and an activity to take her mind off of things, off of _him_.

It had been a week since the fight they had and they hadn't spoken or seen each other even though she thought about him all the time. He was even haunting her dreams. Olivia wasn't one for dirty dreams. She had maybe a few fantasy dreams of getting kissed by a celebrity, but the ones with Fitz were more sophisticated and sensual and _extremely_ vivid. As she swam, flashes of it swept through her mind—it would start off with a wild kiss which then turned into touching then taking each other's clothes off and eventually him doing torturously satisfying things to her body. With every image that came to mind, she swims faster and faster until she was utterly exhausted and had to take a break.

She sighs, sitting on the edge of the pool and perching her googles on top of her head. It was 7 o' clock in the morning and she still had an hour before she had to report for duty to her father's office but since she was actually home, using her own pool for once, she had plenty of time to change, eat, and be on her way. She stands and walks over to a nearby chair where her towel and phone are and checks it, seeing a dozen text messages from Abby asking about the one person she wanted to get her mind off of.

She had been avoiding her friends for the week, mostly because she was busy overall but also because she was upset so she had just told them that she would explain things later. That's how she was keeping them at bay for now. She presumed her friends had found out about she and Fitz from either Stephen or Charlie who had been at the scene of the fight between Harrison but surprisingly the news of the actual fight hadn't quite gotten out. Abby had notified her that Harrison was going around telling everyone he got his black eye from a surfing accident and people really believed and felt sorry for him. Of course he was too arrogant to let everyone know he got his ass handed to him by Fitz. Though, deep down she was grateful. The injuries Harrison had weren't too bad but if he wanted too he could've pressed charges against Fitz, which would've opened a whole new can of worms. She still knew this wasn't over though. Her parents had invited the Wrights over to have dinner that evening which meant she would have to spend her evening with him. It was the last thing she wanted to do since she was a conflict of interest in this whole feud between he and Fitz but she didn't really have much of choice in the matter.

As she sits down on the chair, she hears loud commotion coming from the kitchen and the sound of her father's voice and what sounded like…_but it couldn't be,_ she thinks incredulously, sprouting up and racing in that direction to see what's going on.

She enters the kitchen and is hit with the scene of Fitz hoisting her father up with one hand wrapped around his back and the other holding onto Eli's arm which was lazily draped over Fitz's shoulders

"Dad? Fitz? What happened?" Olivia asks, overwhelmed as Fitz sits Eli down by the kitchen table. Fitz places his hands exhaustedly on his hips and glances over at Olivia. His eyes glaze over her nearly naked, wet body and he licks his lips, getting somewhat lost on her. They make eye contact for a few, long seconds but he doesn't hold her gaze long enough for her to read his expression before his focus is back on her father.

"How do you feel now, sir?" He asks Eli in a somewhat doctor-like tone.

"Oh, the pain is still there. I don't think it's a cramp anymore," Eli responds, airing out his shirt. "Could I get some water?"

Fitz moves to do so but Olivia holds out a hand to him, saying, "I'll get it."

He nods and turns back to her father. "I think you sprained your ankle," Fitz tells him, bending down and examining Eli's leg. "Could I get an ice pack, too?"

She grabs one out of the freezer and hands the water and ice pack to their respective askers, still puzzled by the scene in front of her. Olivia never thought she'd see Fitz and Eli this close to each other without them throwing shady comments or wanting to rip each other's eyes out, much less having a civilized conversation and Eli letting Fitz help him. It was a strange sight.

Fitz positions Eli's leg on an adjacent chair and places the ice pack there, holding it down. "This should help a little."

"What happened?" Olivia asks again.

"I was out for my morning run when I got this awful cramp in my leg and nearly fell. But…luckily Fitz was driving by, saw me near the side of the road, and helped me," Eli says awkwardly, as if he's uncomfortable admitting that he actually needed help, especially from Fitz.

"I was on my way to work and just so happened to see him," Fitz explains, looking in any and every other direction than Olivia's. "So, do you think you'll be alright, Mr. Pope?"

Eli nods cordially. "Uh, yes. My daughter can help me now. Um…thank you," Eli says reluctantly.

Fitz smiles politely, flicking his gorgeous blue eyes up at Olivia, who's already staring at him, for a long moment this time with yearning in his expression. He was so frustrating and captivating at the same time, especially with the images from her dream running through her mind, he was giving her a headache.

"I'll need help but Olivia, first, go change. You're letting water drip all over the place," Eli complains, back to his normal self.

She rolls her eyes. "Okay, I'll be back."

Fitz clears his throat, ripping his gaze away from her and turning back to Eli. "Well, I should be getting to work. Feel better." And with that, he leaves like he was never even there.

* * *

Fitz wipes his forehead and his hands and then takes a seat on a nearby stool, grabbing his water and taking a long chug of it. He drums his fingers to the Jimi Hendrix song blasting around him but his mind was far away as he thought about Olivia. It freaked him out that someone could consume his thoughts so powerfully but a part of him didn't want it to stop, even though they weren't on good terms—however right now, she was driving him wild.

His mind wouldn't stop going back to the dream he had right before waking up that morning—them together, lounging around on his bed, then kissing and eventually getting carried away to the point to where they started ripping each other's clothes off and went crazy on each other. He had touched and caressed every inch of her and pounded into her until she was screaming his name and just when he was about to reach his climax, boom, he woke up, his whole body sweaty and his manhood stiff as a rock.

He wasn't in a hurry to sleep with Olivia, especially now that she wasn't talking to him. They had been taking things slow and he was more than fine with that because he had wanted to keep her happy and comfortable so he couldn't explain these dirty dreams, and seeing her in a tight swimsuit, dripping wet, looking like a supermodel had only made things worse because now that's all he could think about.

"Hey, Fitz," Huck greets loudly over the music as he walks into the garage.

Fitz turns down the music. "Hey."

"You need help?" Huck asks, grabbing a tool. "You look a little worn out already."

Fitz reaches back, rubbing his neck guiltily. "Yeah…it's been an interesting day so far. You drop of a package?"

"Yes," Huck answers, switching back to his minimal way of speaking.

"Jason's had me do three runs this week already, I mean, I don't mind since I guess it's part of the job and I get tips but do you know what it's for or what the packages are? I'm just wondering," Fitz says curiously.

Huck shrugs about to answer when Jason walks in. "Auto parts."

"What?" Fitz asks.

"You asked what the packages were. They are different auto parts and products that my customers order. Of course they can always come and pick them up here but some of them prefer the delivery method. I'm trying to expand the business, kinda like a Pizza Hut or something," Jason says, clearly proud of this idea.

Fitz raises his eyebrows. "Pizza Hut?"

"What? It's a good analogy. And just like Pizza Hut, you get tips from your customers. Why, do you have a problem with it?" Jason asks with a bit of a dare in his voice.

Fitz slowly shakes his head. "Uh, no, I was just curious. The delivery method is a cool idea."

Jason smiles. "Thought so. Well, I'm going out for a food run. You guys want burgers and fries?"

"Sounds good," Huck answers.

"Yeah," Fitz says, grabbing a tool and getting back to work. Now that his concerns about the packages had been put to rest, he was back to square one thinking about Olivia. He wanted to talk to her, but he still really resented her for not taking his side against Harrison. He knew that she had known Harrison longer, but Fitz felt he should have a little more priority as her boyfriend, especially since he's not the one who started the mess. He was getting a headache milling over it now. This is was the downside of commitment that he had tried to avoid but he had gotten caught up in her spell.

Fitz was both resentful and happy for the weekend—happy because it had been a long week and he was ready to relax for a couple of days but resentful because he wouldn't have Olivia by his side. He was started to think the silent treatment between them was totally unnecessary. _Maybe I should just apologize, _he thinks to himself. Women love hearing that they're right and he had actually said some pretty bad things to her, but the more he ponders it, the more he gets frustrated all over again. Why should he have to apologize when all he did was defend himself? It wasn't his fault.

_Screw this, I'm getting wasted tonight._ He and Huck had been invited to hang out at Charlie's since Harrison wasn't going to be around. Stephen wasn't too sure about having him over again after last week's incident but he ultimately decided it was okay. Fitz was actually surprised they still wanted to hang out with him because he assumed they would take Harrison's side just like Olivia had but he supposed that they had finally seen Harrison for the jerk he really was.

* * *

Olivia was up in her room preparing for dinner, putting on her last dose of make-up and fixing up her hair but she kept it simple, just putting on a little eyeshadow and powder and modest peach colored dress. Who was she really getting dolled up for? If it was up to her, she would've dressed as casually as possible but the decision wasn't up to her.

She decides to also pick up her room a little and while doing so she comes across a jacket—Fitz's jacket. He had given it to her when they were out together earlier the week before and she never gave back. As she picks it up, she's hit with a whiff of his scent and just this makes her moan in longing. She missed him so much but she was too stubborn to give into him. She still believed that what he did was wrong and she was still offended by his accusations. Hopefully this dinner could give her at least a temporary distraction.

She's about to head downstairs when her phone rings, making her heart race when she sees the image she had set for Fitz's contact and his name flash across her screen. _Why is he calling right now?_ She wonders.

She decides at first that she's going to let it go to voicemail—she didn't need him screwing up her night with whatever he might say. But unable to resist, she picks up the call on the last ring and press the phone to her ear.

"What?" She asks brusquely.

"Hi, gorgeous," he answers in deep and warm but slurred voice. "How are you?"

She sighs in disbelief that he was doing this to her. "Are you drunk?"

"Yeah…" he answers, sounding somewhat disappointed.

"Why are you calling?"

"Because I want to know how you are…I miss you, Livvie."

She opens her mouth to reply with a smart comment but she stops at how sincere he sounds, though it was likely because of the alcohol.

"Do you miss me?" He asks, almost in a childlike tone. "I'm sorry for being mean to you. I don't want to fight anymore."

She hears an abrupt crash in the background, like glass breaking. "What was that?"

"Uh…oh, crap…Charles broke his bottle," Fitz says, laughing.

She cringes. "Charles? You mean Charlie?"

"Yeah, but his real name is Charles, so we're calling him that now. It sounds more official. I think I'll start going by Fitzgerald from now on—now that's really official! That's like the perfect name for a president. President Fitzgerald Grant. What do you think?"

She can't help but laugh. "You want to be president one day?"

"Only if you're my First Lady. Think of it, Livvie, we'll be the first interracial First Couple. Do you know how big that is? And I've got the perfect idea for our campaign slogan—'Chocolate and Vanilla Swirl to the top!'"

She covers her mouth with hand, muting her giggling. It amazed her how quickly he could change her mood. She starts to respond when she hears her mother call from downstairs, "Olivia, the Wrights are here!"

She groans at this. "Uh, sorry, Fitzgerald…I have to go now."

"But why?" He asks sadly.

She didn't want to mention the fact that Harrison would be there because she knew that would land them back where they were a week ago—yelling and fighting with each other. It wasn't really any of his business—it was just a dinner with both of their families, and it's not like she could get herself out of it. "My family's having dinner now. We'll talk about our campaign strategies later," she jokes.

She hears the smile in his voice. "Okay, have fun—I love you, Livvie."

She freezes at those three words. She knew he was tipsy at the moment but did he really mean them? A lot of people tended to be more honest when intoxicated but she didn't know how she felt about it. Fitz had the power to make her feel like the most beautiful girl in the world or to piss her off to the point where curse words were just flowing out of her mouth, but most of all, he made her feel a way no one else ever had. She dismissed this as simply a young, first love thing that every person went through, but what if it was more?

"Bye, Fitz," she says softly.

"Bye!"

She hangs up and straightens up, taking a breath before she leaves her room.

* * *

Fitz decides to fish around the kitchen, suddenly feeling extremely hungry and settles on a tub of ice cream. He takes his time and ends up eating the entire tub. He knew he might regret it later but he couldn't help himself. About a half-hour later, he strolls back into Charlie's living room where all the guys are engaging in an Easy Cheese-eating contest, which Stephen appears to be winning. As soon as he's finished, he throws the can to the ground and falls back exhaustedly on the couch, like he just ran a marathon. "Crap…I shouldn't have done that," he murmurs and then laughs maniacally.

"Hey, Fitz, how is Liv? Isn't that who you were talking to?" Charlie yells loudly, even though Fitz was less than ten feet away.

Fitz crashes onto the couch and smiles contently. "She's great as usual. I think she loves me again but I don't know for sure. What should I do to prove to her that I'm still good enough?"

"Serenade her. Chicks dig that crap," Huck suggests.

Fitz cheers. "Yo, I could totally do that!"

"Do something with falsetto," Stephen adds. "That always works."

Fitz tries a few bars of a Justin Timberlake song but fails miserably, sounding like a dying whale and making them all burst into laughter.

"Maybe you'll have to find another way to steal your girl back, man," Charlie says with a nod.

"Well, I don't have to steal her back. Technically we're still together."

"I don't know, dude. After what you did to Harry, I've been hearing rumors that he's coming back with a vengeance and he's starting by going after Liv."

"Liv would never give that asshead the time of day," Fitz scoffs, taking another sip of his drink.

"Mmm…well, not voluntarily. They're having dinner tonight with their uppity parents. He might make his move then," Charlie says giddily and then pauses, a look of guilt taking over his face before he laughs it off. "I shouldn't have said that…sorry, man."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Fitz demands, growing more serious despite his drunken state.

"It's nothing, man," Stephen says blithely and then shoots Charlie a dirty look. "Nothing's going to happen. Olivia doesn't even like Harry like that. He's kidding himself thinking he has a chance with her."

Fitz makes a face at this as he ponders why Olivia didn't tell him that Harrison and his family were coming over. He knew that she probably couldn't get out of it since it was most likely something her parents orchestrated and it really wasn't much of his concern, but after what Charlie said, Fitz still felt a little put off. Fitz wasn't even sure that he and Olivia weren't completely okay after their fight and he didn't want Harrison making a move or convincing Olivia that she had made a mistake giving him a chance. He had to really make sure things were right before it was too late.

"I want to go."

"What do you mean?" Huck asks, seeming to already know the answer by the wary look on his face.

"I'm going to her house," Fitz says firmly, slamming his drink on the table and standing up a little too quickly.

"Are you insane?" Stephen exclaims with a smirk.

"Maybe but there's no way I'm letting that little prick steal my girl."

Huck inches towards him, being the voice of reason as usual. "Fitz, why don't you just cool down a little and wait until you're totally sober tomorrow? You also can't just walk in on their dinner. You're going to embarrass her."

"I have to go now!" Fitz insists, grabbing his keys.

"There's no way you're driving."

"I'm sobering up, Huck. I'm good to drive."

Huck sighs. "I'll drive."

Fitz contemplates this for a moment, knowing deep down that he wasn't in the position to be behind the wheel and agrees.

"Hold up. We're coming too. I wanna see this, you know, in case another fight breaks out or something I'll be camera ready. This shit is going on World Star," Charlie says.

But Fitz shakes his head. "No more fighting. If I get into any more trouble here, my aunt will kick me out of her house, and I'll be out on my own which I'm not quite ready for. I'm just going to wait for dinner to be over and then I'm going to try and talk to her in private and hopefully keep her away from Harrison for as long as possible."

They all hop into Fitz's truck and head over to Olivia's as Huck drives, taking his time and going slower than he usually would've in hopes that Fitz would change his mind but even as they pulled up to her house, he was still as tenacious as before.

"Do you guys see them out here?" Fitz asks, peering through the dark, looking for any sign of them in the front yard.

"Maybe they're still having dinner," Huck speculates, but as they look through the open windows, none of them see any bodies or movement in the kitchen area.

"See this is why I don't date. It's not worth all the trouble and drama that comes with having a girlfriend," Charlie says.

"I don't think that's the only reason, buddy," Stephen kids, receiving a middle finger from Charlie.

"Some girls are worth it, though," Fitz says.

"Damn, boy, you're sprung," Charlie says, shaking his head. "Maybe they're in the back. I say we get out and check." He proceeds to open the door and gestures for them to follow him.

"Alright," Fitz agrees, doing the same.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Huck tells them.

"We're just going to check. And if they're not there, then maybe we'll just leave." Fitz shrugs.

Huck stares at him for a long moment before nodding. "If we don't see them, we're leaving and then you can come back and do this on your own time."

Fitz smiles but it's quickly wiped off his face when he hears yelling coming from the house. They all give each other questioning glances as the voices increase in intensity. "It sounds like fighting."

Fitz takes off towards the front door but realizes that not only is the arguing not coming from inside the house but one of the voices also happens to be Olivia's. He rushes for the back of the house as the commotion suddenly stops, worrying him even more. He props open the gate that led to the yard and is angered by the sight of Harrison on his back on the ground and Olivia staring back at him, shocked and scared as she grasps her forearm.

"Livvie?" He yells, racing towards her.

* * *

About ten minutes earlier

Though incredibly boring, the dinner had gone well and now the adults had dispersed off on their own to converse, leaving Olivia alone with Harrison. But for some reason she felt somewhat uncomfortable about being alone with him. It definitely wouldn't be the first time as they had practically grown up in each other's houses and he was one of her closest friends but just the way he had been staring at her all evening was making her feel like this wouldn't be an average hang-out. He had looked at her this way before but tonight it felt magnified, like he wasn't even trying to hide his obvious feelings for her or behave nervously as he usual would've. This is what rubbed her the wrong way.

"So, you want to go hang out outside?" Harrison asks, gesturing towards the backyard.

She shrugs and nods. "Sure."

He opens the sliding door and lets her go first like a gentleman but as he goes after her, she can feel him staring at her ass. She turns around and sees him flick his eyes up quickly.

They take a walk on the cement path that ran all the way across the yard. Olivia tries to keep a comfortable distance between them but Harrison keeps inching his way back to her so that their arms are grazing.

"So, Liv, what are your plans for the future? I mean, like, after Yale," he asks casual.

"I want to be a lawyer. You know that already," she says matter-of-factly.

He nods. "Uh, yeah, that's right. As do I. I guess that's the direction both of our parents are pushing us in. Undergrad then law school and then one day we'll be the future of this country."

"Yep…" Olivia says, wondering where he was trying to go with this conversation.

He clears his throat as he proceeds, "So, I was wondering if you wanted to do something with me some time?"

"Like what?" She asks but deep down she knows where this is going.

"I mean like hang out, like get dinner, see a movie, go to the boardwalk," he suggests and then quickly adds, "Not on like a date or anything, though."

She hesitates before she shuts him down, taking note of how sincere he seemed. It wasn't like this was the first time he had asked her out to go somewhere but it had been strictly as friends. But now she wasn't exactly sure if he was asking her in the same way, especially since he knew about her and Fitz.

"Sorry, Harry, but I don't think that's a good idea after everything that's happened lately," she says obscurely.

He cocks his head. "Everything that's happened?"

"With Fitz," she clarifies. "I know about the fight between you and him and that that's how you got that black eye. You don't have to try and deny it, I'm not going to tell anyone." He glances away in embarrassment, making her feel awful for saying this next bit but it needed to be done.

"Look, Harrison, I know that you have feelings for me but I just can't see you that way. I've known you for forever, we grew up together and I'm always going to see you as the brother I never had."

An angry and hurt look comes across his face as he shakes his head in denial. "Well, I can't do that. I mean, Liv, how can you not feel it? We're perfect for each other. We've always been in sync, we have the same goals, we know everything about each other and the chemistry we have is off the charts."

"As friends," she asserts again.

"No," he says, staring deeply into her eyes. "Liv, we have to be together. I mean, it's going to happen eventually. Why do you think our parents have kept us so tight-knit and drilled the same ideas and goals into our heads all these years? It's probably the same reason they're having this dinner. They think we'd make the perfect couple, too. I finally realized it."

"Well, if I remember correctly, this is a free country and I have the right to be with whoever I want," she tells him firmly, somewhat disgusted at his attitude of entitlement towards her. "And right now that's Fitz."

All he does is roll his eyes, like he's completely disregarding what she just said. "Yeah, but be pragmatic, Olivia. This 'thing' you have with Fitz is just a summer fling. You're going off to a top Ivy League school this fall but what is he doing? What are his plans? To spend the rest of his days working at the mechanic shop? Come on, Liv, you can do better than that."

"Look, Harrison, I understand your concern but to be honest, this is known of your business, so just drop it. You don't know anything about Fitz's plans for the future so stop meddling and acting like a jealous, bombastic ass and just back off," she tells him, struggling to hold back her anger. After she says it, she feels slightly bad but she had just been so put off by the way he acted like she somehow belonged to him because of how they had been raised.

He clenches his jaw at this, obviously irked and mutters snootily, "Wow…I never thought you'd fall for someone like that with the way your parents raised you—much less white trash like Fitz."

She loses it at this. "Shut the hell up, Harrison! You know, I defended you when Fitz almost beat the crap out of you because I thought we were friends but now I see that you're just an egotistical dirtbag. I don't care about what my parents want or what they're trying to do because I will never have feelings for you. So grow a freakin pair and stop acting like a sorry-ass punk because it's truly pathetic." And with that she turns around to head back to the house.

"Oh, come on, Olivia," Harrison says like her tirade didn't even faze him. He grabs her arm, holding her back.

"Let go of me," she tells him calmly and when she tries to leave his grip, he only tightens his hold and yanks her violently back, sending a piercing pain up her arm. "Would you stop taking everything so personally? We aren't done talking yet!" He says, his voice growing sharper.

"What are you doing? I said let go!" She exclaims, using her other hand to push him back with all her might. He lets go and stumbles back, unable to regain his balance, causing him to land awkwardly on the ground.

Olivia protectively holds the part of her arm that he had grasped onto so tightly and feels it throbbing as Harrison looks around himself in shock, like he can't believe what's just happened and was afraid that someone would see his moment of weakness.

Olivia steps back as he clumsily gets up, wiping his mouth and muttering something derogatory under his breath that she couldn't quite make out. She's about to take off back into the house when she hears, "Livvie?"

She whips her head in the direction of the voice, raising her eyebrows and gasping when she sees Fitz rushing towards her.

"Fitz, what the hell are you doing here?" She asks in a hushed yell.

"I needed to talk to you…but what is going on here?" He asks, looking between her and Harrison.

Harrison just glares up at him so he turns to Olivia but she doesn't know how to respond. He notices that she's still clinging on to her arm.

"Liv…did he hurt you?" She bashfully glances away from him as he reaches out to her and then brings his attention back to Harrison, seeing red.

"What did you do to her?" He asks in a menacing tone, creeping towards Harrison who starts to back up.

"N-nothing," he stutters.

"Fitz, come on, man! Let's not do this again. Especially here," Stephen calls as the rest of the guys approach them.

"But World Star, Stephen! This could go viral. Just don't kill him," Charlie chimes in. Olivia creases her eyebrows at them, confused as ever.

But Fitz ignores them, balling up his fists so tightly he couldn't feel his fingers and clenching his jaw. "I swear, if you hurt her—"

"I'm okay, Fitz," Olivia says, coming closer but that doesn't stop him.

"I get that you have a beef with me but how _dare_ you even lay your hands on her. I thought you cared about her!" Fitz spits, grabbing Harrison by his shirt.

"Fitz!" Olivia says more assertively this time, commanding his attention effectively as he pauses.

"I am fine. Let go of him," she says evenly. "He's not worth it." Harrison glances up at Olivia when she says this, a look of hurt on his face but she disregards it.

Fitz eventually heeds her advice and lets go of Harrison, walking back over to Olivia. "I'm so sorry," he tells her, grazing her cheek.

She shakes her head. "You don't need to apologize. You were right…but this isn't the place to discuss this. You need to go before—"

She hears the door from the house to the backyard slide open and turns her head to see her parents, along with Mr. and Mrs. Wright staring curiously and suspiciously at the scene before them. "What is going on here?" Eli asks.

"Nothing, Dad. They were actually just leaving," Olivia says, trying to pull Fitz up and turn him around so that he could at least make it back to his car before her parents could further interrogate. She whispers firmly to him, "You need to leave—now."

He nods. "I know, I know. I'm sorry, I just—I'll talk to you in the morning…I don't feel so good," he says, cringing and grasping his stomach. Her eyes spike open in panic as she prays that she can get him out of there before he does what she thinks he's about to do.

She looks over to Stephen and Huck and motions for them to help her out. "It's time to go now, Fitz," Huck tells him.

Fitz nods and with a squeeze of Olivia's hand, he starts to edge away but not before saying his goodbyes to the adults. "I'm sorry for all the chaos, Mr. Pope. I didn't mean to interrupt your dinner but I just had to talk to Livvie and get her away from that asshat over there," Fitz says, jabbing his finger at Harrison who is slowly rising from the grass. "Don't let him near her. He needs to learn some respect. I hope your leg is okay, by the way, Mr. Pope. I'm going to leave now."

"Excuse me, Eli, but who is this?" Mrs. Wright asks then turns to her son. "And what were you doing on the ground, Harrison?"

But all he does in response is shake his head dismissively, refusing to talk about it. "Not now, mom."

"I'm Olivia's _very_ special friend," Fitz says with a wink and a mischievous grin on his face, like he had thought of the smartest way to rephrase the word 'boyfriend'.

_Is he trying to kill me? _She thinks to herself. "Get him out of here," she commands in a loud whisper at Stephen and Huck. They forcibly grab him this time, nearly dragging him away as he waves back at Eli, blows a kiss to Olivia and stumbles away.

**So what happens now? Leave your thoughts in the reviews. Thanks for reading!**


	9. I Wanna Get Better

**Yay new chapter! Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 9: I Wanna Get Better**

Fitz wakes up to a bright light shining in his eyes and his head throbbing like it was being hit by a sledgehammer. He groans out and flips to his other side but pauses when he grazes someone's else skin. He glances up tentatively to see Olivia, sitting on the bed and leaning her back against the wall while staring expectantly at him. He slowly sits up, his whole body aching with every inch he moves and gazes back at her, sighing.

"You look gross af," she tells him matter-of-factly.

"I feel gross af. Where am I?" He asks, peering around the room and realizing that it was one he had never seen before, much less been in. At first he thought it might be Olivia's but by the posters of nearly naked swimsuit models on the walls, the bundle of dirty laundry by the door, and empty junk food wrappers strewn across the floor, he figured it wasn't hers.

"Stephen's. After you guys left, I asked him to let you crash for the night. I didn't think your aunt would appreciate you coming home the way you were last night…" She trails off, looking away as if she wanted to say more.

Some of the events of last night come racing back to him—drinking at Charlie's, driving to her house, Harrison, _her parents_. "Liv, I'm so sorry. Damn it, I feel like shit for what I did."

She shakes her head but continues, "I just wanted to talk to you but I shouldn't have come over like that. It was selfish and irresponsible and…I don't know, I guess I just got kind of jealous—and scared," he admits.

"Jealous and scared? Why?"

"Because freakin' Charlie psyched me out when he told me you and your family were having dinner with the Wrights and he started saying all this crap about how Harrison was going to use that as an opportunity to go after you and even though we kind of talked on the phone after our fight, I wasn't exactly sure where we stood."

"Wait, so you thought that Harrison might win me over? Really, Fitz?" She concludes, rolling her eyes at him with a chuckle.

"I was drunk, and why didn't you tell me that he was coming over when we talked on the phone?"

"Because I didn't want you to react the way you did. And it wasn't your business anyway. You should've just trusted me."

"I know…I do trust you, I just didn't want to lose you—I don't want to fight anymore, okay? Especially about Harrison. He brings out the worst in me. Those things I said about you being spoiled were below the belt and I'm sorry…"

She gives him a reassuring smile. "It's okay. And you were right, though—about Harrison. He's not really the guy I thought he was…"

He takes her hand and examines her forearm and when he looks closely he notices a little redness. He swallows, feeling his anger boiling up again. "Did he touch you anywhere else?"

She scoots closer to him, taking both of his hands in hers and just her soothing touch calms him down a little. "No, he didn't, just relax. It's not a big deal. I'm okay."

"He needs to pay for what he did," Fitz insists.

"I just want this feud with Harrison to be over. Reporting the incident to the police or trying to get him in trouble likely won't solve anything and will only exacerbate the situation, especially since he didn't cause any real injury. But I am going to tell my parents that I don't want anything to do with him."

"Okay." He nods but deep down he's already looking for a way to hand it to Harrison once and for all. "So, what did your parents say, you know, about me?" He asks timidly.

She gives a small smile. "They were upset by the noisy interruption and gave me a lecture but they didn't have anything to say about you calling yourself my 'very special friend'."

Fitz gives her a confused look. "What? I don't remember saying that…"

She chuckles. "You did. And you said some other things, especially on the phone—'Chocolate and Vanilla Swirl to the Top'."

The memory comes back to him and he bangs the back of his head against the wall in embarrassment. "Damn."

She giggles. "Has anyone ever told you that you're hilarious when you're drunk?"

He laughs. "Not really, but it sucks when you can only remember half of what you did when you were wasted. Please don't tell anyone what happened."

"I won't have to. Charlie recorded most of it but I can try and get him to delete it."

"Son of a bitch…" Fitz sighs. "I'm never doing this again."

"Good," Olivia tells him, pecking his cheek. She pauses a second before saying, "Look, Fitz, I think you were sort of right about me not wanting to tell my parents about us. It wasn't because I feared for my reputation, I was just afraid of how they would react, but I also don't want you to feel like you're a secret or something I'm embarrassed of so if you want me to tell them about us, then I will."

Fitz nods as he ponders this. He wanted to be out in the open, he wanted to show her off to everyone and tell them how proud he was to call her his girl and to be her guy, especially her parents but he didn't know if he was ready. He felt like he just kept going one step backwards with all the crap he kept pulling—beating up Harrison and now this drunken incident. He needed to recreate his image so that they could see him in a new light and wouldn't be so quick to write him off. He didn't know how he was going to so that but he would start by staying out of trouble at least. "I know, but what makes me happy is being with you. I was upset before because I felt like you were embarrassed of me but I don't want to rush this. I know we have to tell them eventually but right now I just need to get my shit together. After what happened last night I don't think I've helped their impression of me improve and I need them to like me. So, just give me some time."

"Whatever you need."

"We can tell your friends, though, and maybe my family—I'm sure my aunt would love to meet you."

She nods and smiles. "We can do that, though, my friends already know because of Stephen, and if they know it's likely that everyone in our age group does, too. I think most of them just need to see it first to believe it."

"Damn, when did we become celebrities? I've never gotten this much attention in my life," Fitz says with a soft chuckle.

She laughs. "I know, isn't it great?"

He grins at her and moves closer to kiss her on the lips but she holds out a hand to him. "Not so fast, mister. Stephen told me that you puked after you left. You aren't getting any lip action until that mouth is fresh and clean."

He cringes. "Ugh, gross. I think it was the mixture of alcohol and ice cream."

"I brought you a toothbrush, it's in the bathroom and there's breakfast downstairs," she tells him, moving off of him and off the bed

He follows suit and they walk out together. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

She grins and he heads to the bathroom as Olivia goes downstairs. Once Fitz is done, he makes his way downstairs where the smell of freshly made breakfast is wafting throughout the air. Olivia smiles pleasantly at him as he walks into the kitchen where both she and Stephen are dishing out.

Stephen glances at Fitz after flopping a pancake onto a plate and gives him a wide smile. "So, how was your beauty sleep?" He taunts.

Fitz rolls his eyes. "It sucked. My head hurts like hell."

"Drink this," Olivia says, handing him what looked like a shake or smoothie. "It should help."

"Thanks, baby," he says, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Mmm…fresh and minty." She kisses him this time and he pulls her in closer, making the kiss more fervent.

"Alright, lovebirds, chill and eat before this food gets cold," Stephen butts in. They give each other one more peck and then pull away, taking their seats by the kitchen table. Fitz smiles at the platter of food before him—two pancakes with scrambled eggs, bacon, and a side of strawberries. He was starving and a meal like this just made his mouth water even more. "Wow, Stephen, did you cook all this? It's really good," Fitz says, popping a piece of pancake into his mouth.

He nods. "Yep, and thanks. Most people are surprised by my cooking abilities but it always wins over the ladies, right, Liv?"

She chuckles. "Right, Stephen."

"Hey, watch it," Fitz warns Stephen half-heartedly.

They all laugh but Fitz stops when he sees a girl who looks about Teddy's age with blonde pixie haircut waltz into the kitchen and start dishing out. She flicks her eyes over at them but pays them no attention like she's used to having unknown guests over. She only becomes vocal when she looks over at the food and furrows her eyebrows disappointedly. "Stevie, you only left me one pancake. I told you to save me two."

Stephen whips his head back, finally noticing the girl. "Sorry, Sandy, maybe you should've woken up earlier."

She glares at him as he dishes out and Fitz comes to the conclusion that she's likely his sister. She takes a seat at the table next to Olivia. "Hey, Liv," she greets with a smile and looks curiously at Fitz, her cheeks flushing at the sight of him. "Who's this?"

"He's a buddy of mine and he's off limits to you because he already has a thing going with Liv," Stephen tells her, causing Sandy to blush even more and swat her brother.

"Wait, you're Teddy's cousin, right?"

Fitz nods. "Yep."

"Hmm, Teddy's told me a lot about you…" She says with a smirk on her face and leaving Fitz wondering exactly what his little cousin had said.

"So, dude, about my 4th of July bash next weekend, do you think your buddy Jason could hook us up with some good weed? I want to make this one a night to remember."

"Stephen, he's my boss. I don't think it'd be appropriate for me to do that, and I'm not trying to get into any trouble. The whole reason I got sent here in the first place is to get away from that shit. Sorry, man."

Stephen sighs. "Fine. I guess I'll just ask Huck then."

"Good luck with that. And how are you able to throw this party with booze and weed anyway? What about your parents?"

"Have you ever seen my parents during any of the times you've been here? They're nonexistent."

"Dad's on a business trip until the11th and mom doesn't like being cooped up in the house so she goes on a lot vacations by herself. She'll be back in August," Sandy says nonchalantly, like the fact that their parents practically abandoned them on a regular basis was normal.

"Yeah, they're never around…and I kind of prefer it that way. It allows me to do a lot of things like this," Stephen says with a satisfied grin on his face but the look in his eyes isn't too convincing. "And me and Sandy have our own nice arrangement. She doesn't tell our parents about any of the shit I do and I let her do whatever she wants. Works out."

They finish their breakfast and Olivia and Fitz decide to part ways for a little while so that Fitz can go home and take a shower as well as give his aunt a good explanation as to why he failed to come home the previous night. That was something he wasn't looking forward to.

* * *

When Olivia arrives at her house, she's surprised to see that both of her parents are home this early in the day. Sometimes her mom was around, reading a book or organizing a town event, but her dad was usually at work until at least the early evening. The change in routine made her curious, especially when she found them together congregating in the kitchen and whispering about something but as soon as she walked into the room, they became silent.

"Um, hi…" Olivia says cautiously.

"Hello, Olivia," her father answers. "Where have you been? You were gone when your mother and I woke up."

"I was just…out with friends," Olivia answers simply. Her parents nod as Olivia asks, "What were you guys talking about?"

Her mom shrugs. "Oh, nothing." Olivia gives her an unconvinced look so Maya adds, "It's a surprise."

"A surprise for me?"

"Yes, your eighteenth birthday is coming up soon and we were thinking of doing something special," Eli admits with an awkward smile.

"Oh…" Olivia looks at them suspiciously, wondering if her real parents had been replaced by friendly doppelgangers because they hadn't been this nice in a long time. Maybe this would be the perfect time to bring up the Harrison topic.

"I wanted to talk to you guys about something…" She says slowly before taking a deep breath. "Was the dinner you had yesterday with the Wrights about you setting me up with Harrison? Because I don't want anything to do with him. I know we grew up together and we were close but he's changed or maybe he was always a jerk. I don't want to see him or even be in the same room with him ever again, much less date or marry him. I understand that you have a close relationship with his parents and that Harrison and I would be some kind of power couple together but I can't do it—I won't."

"What happened between you two?" Eli asks.

Olivia hesitates to respond before she finally blurts out, "He was telling me all this garbage about how we were meant to be together and when I told him that he was full of it, he grabbed my arm and wouldn't let go until I pushed him away. He's insane."

Maya raises her eyebrows. "He did _what_?"

Eli's jaw clenches. "He hurt you?"

"He just pulled my arm but I'm fine. I just don't want to ever see him again."

"I'm going to have to have a serious talk with Mr. Wright—both of them," Eli mutters.

Olivia was actually surprised they were so quick to believe her. It was definitely a first.

"You really thought we were going to force you to marry him?" Maya asks skeptically. "Olivia, we don't live in some third-world country where we have to trade our blessing for a goat or some other trivial business deal. This is America. And you can do a lot better. We were really only supposed to be having dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Wright but for some reason they decided they also wanted to bring their son, so we thought it would be appropriate for you to also join the dinner. We never anticipated this, however," Maya says with an apologetic expression.

Olivia nods. "It's okay."

"And on the other hand, when I went for my appointment with Cynthia this morning, she told me you already have a special someone. And if I'm not mistaken, I recall that young man from last night calling himself your 'very special friend'," Maya says with an expectant, knowing expression on her face.

"Who, Fitz?" Eli scoffs. "That can't be right…" Olivia sighs mentally, thinking her parents' haughty attitudes were slowly creeping back. She freezes, wondering if she should really deny it or just tell them the full truth. She and Fitz had agreed that they would wait but her parents weren't stupid. If she lied they would see right through it, especially since Olivia looked so noticeable tense.

"Actually, it is…" She says quietly, raising her voice slightly as she continues, "We've been dating for a few weeks."

Eli frowns. "You can't be serious. I specifically told you to stay away from him. He is a rude, irresponsible, and disrespectful hooligan."

"Really, Dad? The same rude, irresponsible, and disrespectful hooligan that helped you on the side of the road and brought you home when you sprained your ankle?"

Eli pauses and sighs. "Olivia, you know this isn't, right…"

"I know you don't trust him because he hasn't exactly had the best track record with you especially, but I really, really like him. He has his flaws but he's good to me and he treats me right and—he's just different, in a good way. Maybe if you guys met him in a different setting, you could get a taste for who he really is."

"Well, I definitely want to meet him and see what all this fuss about," Maya chimes in. "How about dinner?"

Eli sighs. "Maya…"

But she holds up her hand to him. "Eli, it's obvious that our daughter is very interested in this fellow so I want to be sure that he's up to our standards for her. We're vetting him."

A wave of worry suddenly comes over Olivia as she realizes what she's just done.

"Fine, but it's not happening this week. I'm too busy and I'll be working late for the next several days. Maybe after 4th of July—and speaking of that, your mom and I will be spending that night out of town. I know this isn't anything new but we just wanted to give you a heads up."

"Oh, where are you guys going?"

"We're going to cut the ribbon at and host a ceremony for the opening of a new park in Tampa," Eli says proudly. Olivia knew that ribbon-cutting events were his favorite. "And since it's rather far from here, we're going to spend the night over there."

She nods as her mother tells her, "So, ask…Fitz, is it?—If dinner sometime next week is okay for him."

"Okay…" Olivia says softly. Now she just had to convince Fitz to meet her parents a hell of a lot sooner than they had planned.

**So the dinner is on, but will Fitz agree to it? Other thoughts? Thanks for reading!**


	10. The Deal

**I have a nice and short update for y'all. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 10: The Deal**

After she talked to her parents, Fitz picks Olivia up and they head to the town's bowling alley to meet up with some of her friends. She decided it would be best to just come right out and tell Fitz about the dinner as soon as possible so on the drive to the bowling alley, she brought it up, and even as they were entering the building, she was still finding it difficult to convince him.

"Liv, it's not happening," Fitz tells her, holding the door open for her.

She rolls her eyes. "Oh, come on, Fitz, do you know how hard it was to convince my father to agree to this? They're giving you a chance and if you back out now then we're squandering that."

"I'm not squandering anything, there will be plenty of other times that I can meet them for dinner later."

"But they asked to meet you _now_. If we keep procrastinating their going to think something fishy is up and they're going to be even more wary of you."

He lets out a long sigh as they approach her friends who have already secured a lane. "Could we just talk about this later? I'll think about it but right now I just want to do something fun with my girlfriend," he tells her, taking her hand.

"Fine," Olivia says, choosing to back down for now. Abby is the first to see them, a look of shock and excitement immediately taking over her face as she hollers, "Liv!" and waves at Olivia and Fitz like they already haven't seen her.

Everyone else turns around, revealing Abby's boyfriend Leo, Quinn, David, and surprisingly Mellie and Andrew. Olivia cringes at the sight of the two of them, wondering who invited them but she disregards it as her friend envelopes her in a big hug, like they haven't seen each other in ages—though, to Abby it probably felt like ages with the way she had been badgering Olivia all week about getting to meet Fitz.

She pulls back and smiles affably at Fitz. "Hi, Fitz."

He smiles back politely. "Hey, Abby."

"I'll let you guys go get your shoes and pay then we can start the game."

Once they get settled they make their way over to the lane their friends were waiting at and as Fitz greets and talks to the rest of her friends, Mellie approaches Olivia. Olivia expects her to say something snotty and sarcastic but much to her surprise, Mellie just smiles widely and politely says, "Hi, Liv, it's great that you and Fitz could come and hang with us."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Olivia asks suspiciously.

"I genuinely mean that I'm glad you guys could come. I know we've always had a bit of a rivalry in the past but I was thinking that since this is the last time we're all going to be together for a while, we should set our problems with each other aside and try to get along," she explains simply.

Olivia nods but deep down it feels off to her. She and Mellie had had much more than 'a bit of a rivalry' in the past. They had been at each other's throats for years. It all started back in the 5th grade. Olivia and Mellie had pretty much been indifferent to each other before then but that all changed when Mellie chopped off a large handful of Olivia's hair—hair that she had spent almost three years trying to grow down to her waist—as part of dare at a sleepover. And as a result, Olivia spread a nasty rumor about Mellie having a crush on some dorky, weird teacher they had. And from there began a long, mean, and dirty rivalry. But could Mellie really have changed her ways? Or was she still the coldhearted bitch that Olivia always knew she was?

"Alright, let's get started!" Leo says. "I guess we can do four teams of two."

Everyone agrees and they get started but before it's Fitz and Olivia's turn to go, she decides to make a deal with him. "Hey, babe, how good are you at this game?"

"I don't know. I've never played before," he tells her.

Her eyes widen. "Seriously?"

He shrugs. "Yeah. I never really ever got the chance but it doesn't look too difficult."

"So…what if we made a deal? If we win, you don't have to go to dinner with my parents but if we lose you do," she offers gingerly.

"How is that a fair deal? I've never played before!" He protests.

"Fine, let's see how you do on your first try and then tell me what you think."

He nods. "Okay." So when his turn comes, he picks up a suitable ball and steps up to the lane. Olivia can't help but marvel at how handsome he looks. He was wearing a red and grey baseball shirt that fit him extremely well and accented his strong arm and abdominal muscles. He had left his hair just the way she liked it, in thick, messy curls just after being washed, giving Olivia a strong urge to run her fingers through them. And even though he had never played before, she loved his confident swagger as he kept one hand tucked in his front pocket and rolled the bowling ball down the lane effortlessly, knocking all eight pins down, making him the first out of all of them to do so. He was truly a dream and it's obvious that she wasn't the only one thinking that because when Olivia glanced to her left she caught Mellie gazing pensively at him, looking just as mesmerized with an impressed smile on her face. "Nice job, Fitz," she says but there's something in her voice that rubs Olivia the wrong way. Nevertheless, Fitz doesn't hear her or acknowledge her as he grins at his success and then returns to Olivia's side, hooking his arm around her waist.

"You know, I think I want in on that deal now," he tells her with a smug smirk.

She rolls her eyes. "Beginner's luck."

He presses his lips to hers for a quick kiss but she deepens it, gripping the back of his neck and pulling him closer. She opens her eyes slightly to see Mellie staring at them with blatant envy in her eyes but once she notices Olivia noticing her, she straightens up, putting on an indifferent expression and going to sit next to Andrew. Olivia mentally sighs, thinking, _Some people never change_.

Much to her discontent, Olivia and Fitz end up blowing the rest of the teams out of the water and their deal backfires on her. Fitz on the other hand is ecstatic. He had won his very first game of bowling and he was soaking in all the praise everyone was giving him once they learned of his inexperience.

As they were leaving, the weather had already turned sour for the afternoon and it was raining cats and dogs outside. Fitz and Olivia said goodbye to her friends and promised to do something similar another time before going their separate ways. But when Fitz tried to offer Olivia a jacket he had brought along, she aloofly declined and set out in the rain, utterly exposed, towards the car by herself. Fitz shrugged off her behavior but he knew she was really sticking it to him when he tried to open her door for her and she gave him a dirty look before reaching for the door handle herself and getting in.

He sighs as he goes to the other side and gets in. He takes his time starting the car and fiddling with the heater, even though it wasn't even cold. He can feel her irritation and impatience rising with each ticking second until she finally grumbles, "Can you stop doing that please? Just drive."

"I know you're upset."

"Yes, and I have a right to be. I didn't expect you to be that good…" She says, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It seems like all I do is win," he tells her with a wink.

"Shut up," she mutters.

He chuckles and then pauses before saying, "Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes, I'll have dinner with your parents next week."

She creases her eyebrows and he smirks at her adorably confused expression. "But I thought after we won the game—"

"I know what I said but I thought about it some more and I know how important this is to you and it's important to me too so if you think now is the right time then I'm on board. I might be scared out of mind, actually, I _am_ scared out of my mind but I'm just going to do my best and hopefully that will be enough for them."

A radiant smile spreads across her face as she unbuckles her seatbelt and throws her arms around him. He hugs her back as he continues to speak, "But I just have one condition."

She pulls back and looks cautiously back at him. "What?"

"You let me take you out on a real date on 4th of July."

She cocks her head. "I thought we were just going to go to Stephen's party."

"We are but, I mean, it _is_ the 4th of July, a huge holiday. I heard there's this festival in the next town that a lot of people go to so I thought that sounded like fun. We could get something to eat, hang out there, and then head over to Stephen's—it's just an idea, if you don't want to it doesn't matter…" he grumbles, looking away from her outside the window, taking her silence as a message that she wasn't interested.

"Fitz…" She carefully positions herself on his lap, sitting sideways and letting her legs hang over the console and she places her hands on both of his cheeks, turning him to face her. His jaw is tight and he avoids eye contact, prompting her to say, "Babe, just look at me."

He sighs and finally gives her his attention. "I would love for you to take me out on a date."

"Are you sure? Because we really can do something else if you want or just—"

"No, I want to go on an official date with you. I just hesitated because I was surprised—pleasantly surprised like getting a Christmas or birthday gift. I wasn't expected it. But I can't wait."

He smiles and places his hands on her waist, pulling her in more and kissing her. She was so amazed by how sensitive he was when it came to her and how much he cared about how she felt. She'd never had anyone react that way to her. This takes her back to the night before when he had drunkenly told her that he loved her. It had been more of a quick, goodbye 'I love you' and he likely didn't remember but regardless, he had said it and it was the first time. She didn't want to bring it up because she didn't really know how and she was still afraid to see those three words herself.

The kiss gets heated as he glides his hand up her shirt and his smooth, soft touch sets her skin on fire. He reaches her bra, his fingertips grazing her breasts. She releases a moan, wanting him to take her right there but on the other hand, making love to her first real boyfriend in a cramped car in the parking lot of a bowling alley didn't feel right to her.

She pulls away and he stops, panting with an apologetic look on his face. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"No, that's not it. I want you to…just not here. I want our first time to be more special…" She says, hoping he understood.

He nods and smiles awkwardly. "Oh…right. I do, too. Sorry, I just got a little carried away."

She shakes her head. "You don't have to apologize," she pauses as she remembers what her parents told her. "Actually, my parents are going to be out of town on 4th of July evening. That means I'll have the house all to myself…" She says flirtatiously, biting her lip in a way she knew turned him on.

"Well, it would seem that this date just got a thousand times better," he says back with a wicked smile.

**So 4****th**** of July is up next and then the dinner with the parents. How do you think the date will go? Other thoughts? Thanks for reading!**


	11. A Night To Remember Pt 1

**Sorry this took so long but enjoy!**

**Chapter 11: A Night To Remember Pt. 1**

After her parents left for Tampa, Olivia had Abby drop her off at Cynthia's house to get her hair done for her date with Fitz. Her parents had given her the usual set of rules—be safe, don't stay out too late, and most of all, don't have anyone over—one of which she might break and one she was definitely going to break because while safety was a priority, she had no idea how long she'd be out and there was no way she wasn't going to take advantage of the opportunity to have Fitz all to herself in the comfort and secrecy of her home, especially after she had just spent the past half hour shaving her body hairless.

She asked Fitz to pick her up from Cynthia's around 6pm so that they could start the date as soon as her hair was done but mostly so that Cynthia could finally meet Fitz.

"I just don't understand why you didn't tell me," Cynthia says, as they discuss Olivia's parents, specifically her mom, finding out about her relationship with Fitz from the hairdresser.

Olivia sighs. "Because I knew that if I told you why my dad didn't like him, you might not approve either."

"Well, what did he do?"

"It doesn't matter now…" Olivia says quietly but she can almost sense Cynthia rolling her eyes and shaking her head as she runs the curling iron through Olivia's hair. "Seriously, he's not that way anymore. He's trying to be better, in fact, we're having dinner with my parents next week."

"How'd you get your dad to agree to that?"

"My mom was actually pretty adamant about meeting Fitz. She kind of forced him into it…and I guess in a way I also forced Fitz into it," Olivia says, feeling a little guilty.

"I can imagine how intimidated he must feel."

"Yeah…my parents can be somewhat intense. But he thinks he can handle it so we're going to give it a go."

"Well, I hope everything goes well and even if it doesn't, if you and Fitz are meant to be it will work out. I can see how much you care about him."

Olivia smiles subtly. There's a long silence as she ponders the subject of what she's about to say next. "So…do you think it's too soon for me to start sleeping with him? Because that's kind of where I feel things are heading."

"Has he been pressuring you?" Cynthia asks in low and wary tone that parents used when they knew something was up.

"No, not at all," Olivia says quickly. "He's being really patient about everything but I may have hinted at wanting to take things to the next level. It's like, I look at him and I just want to rip all of his clothes off and take him right where we stand. It's getting harder and harder for me to hold back but I'm still nervous about it. You know, I had a dirty dream about us about a week? I've said too much…" Olivia says, just realizing that she was running her mouth. "Please never repeat anything I just said to anyone ever."

Cynthia laughs. "I won't say a thing. And if you think that now is the right time to move on to the next step with Fitz then you should trust your gut—just make sure you're safe about it. The last thing you want or need is having to think about a baby right before you go off to college."

Olivia nods. "I know—and I am safe. I'm already on birth control."

Cynthia smiles. "Smart girl."

Olivia appreciated that she had someone she could talk to about these things. Her mother hadn't even had an official talk or really any talk at all with her about sex or boys. One day she just came into Olivia's room, handed her a pack of pills and told her to take them everyday because she knew Olivia was 'getting to that stage of life and needed to use protection'. Olivia stopped using them a while ago since she had no use for them without a boyfriend or friend with bennies but now that Fitz was in her life, she had a reason.

"I think we'd make really cute babies, though," Olivia says with a devious smile.

"Sweetie, don't even go there," Cynthia says, shaking her head but chuckling.

Five minutes later, the doorbell rings just as Cynthia finishes and at the sound of bell, Cynthia sprouts up from her couch in anticipation and rushes to answer the door. She swings it open to reveal Fitz standing on the doorstep, wearing a white v-neck, a denim jacket, and tan chino pants. He had gelled his hair a little to tame down his Superman curl, and for a moment she just marveled at how much he looked like a sexy, teen heartthrob from the 80s with the denim, gelled hair, and high-top converse. Though, what stood out most to her and made her heart swell with delight was the bundle of roses in his hand. Just the sight of his iridescent blue eyes making contact with hers gave her goosebumps, but this chivalrous gesture was enough to make her swoon.

He licks his lips at the sight of Olivia but notices Cynthia surveying him like a curious parent, so rips his eyes away from Olivia, reluctantly, and gives his attention to Cynthia.

"Uh, hi. You must be Cynthia," he says politely with his trademark smooth smile. He sticks out his right hand to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Cynthia seems somewhat surprised but charmed at Fitz's charismatic behavior, smiling back amicably as she shakes his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Fitz. Come in," she says, stepping aside.

Fitz makes his way into the house, focusing his attention back on Olivia, his eyes glued to her. "You look amazing," he says in a dazed tone but she felt the same way because she was dazed from him just looking at her.

She smiles shyly. "Thanks…you don't look too bad yourself," she says, making him grin. They stare at each other from across the room and it's as if time just stops and nothing around them exists—that is until they hear the sharp noise of Cynthia clearing her throat.

"Let me just give you a little more hairspray and a few more touch ups and then you lovebirds can enjoy your night," Cynthia says with a small laugh, making both Olivia and Fitz blush. Olivia makes her way back to the chair as Fitz tentatively walks deeper into the house. "Um, I brought some chocolates for you, Cynthia…if you want them," he fades off, whipping a small rectangular box of chocolates out of his jacket, timidly holding it out to her.

Cynthia beams. "Oh, my, how sweet of you. Just set them down on that table, honey."

Fitz smiles back and does as she says, rubbing his freed hand against his pants and tapping his foot anxiously. Even though she wasn't Olivia's mom, Olivia could tell that Fitz's confident demeanor was a little off at the moment because he knew how important Cynthia was to her and he wanted to leave a good impression. Which is why Olivia flashes Fitz a reassuring smile to tell him he was doing great and he smiles back as relief floods his face.

"So, Fitz, what do you have planned for this evening?" Cynthia asks, trying to make small talk.

"Oh, um, I'm going to take Livvie to dinner, then we'll head to the big 4th of July fest right outside of town, and then to a little party that one of our friends is hosting," he explains simply, but Olivia knew that there was nothing 'little' about a party that was so wild it had once been featured on a major news station—at least that's what happened the year before. "And afterwards, I'll take her home."

_And hopefully stay and do some very naughty things with and to her until the next morning_, Olivia adds in her head. Cynthia nods. "Oh, that's nice…but I have to ask, how long will you two be out? I'm presuming you have a curfew of some sort," she says, looking expectantly at Fitz who vigorously nods. "Oh, yes, of course. No later than midnight."

She raises her eyebrows at him. "Midnight?"

His cheeks flush and Olivia can tell he's getting nervous again. "Oh, no…actually, maybe ten o' clock would be better—" Fitz begins to say but he's interrupted by Cynthia bursting into laughter, stopping him dead in his tracks and looking confused as hell. If Olivia wasn't facing away from Cynthia, she would've given her a death glare.

"Oh, the look on your face. Fitz, relax—it's a holiday, you two are young, and I know you guys are going to probably be out all night partying and…doing other things…" Cynthia says in a tone that definitely wasn't inconspicuous. _She might as well have just said we_ were going to be screwing, Olivia thinks to herself. "Just remember to be safe, though."

But Cynthia's little comment seems to just go over Fitz's head as he nods and smiles lightly. "Of course."

"Great. Liv, you're good to go."

"Thanks," Olivia says, getting off the chair and giving Cynthia a slight glare but all the hairdresser does in response is shrug in a way that said 'I couldn't help myself' as she hands Olivia her purse.

"If you guys need anything or get into trouble, Liv has my number so don't be afraid to call," Cynthia tells them as they make their way to the door. Fitz slides his arm around Olivia's waist and she could tell that he was still being extra careful because his arm was a tad higher than usual but she was just glad to be in his embrace again.

"Thank you. And it was great to finally meet you," Fitz says. "I hope you enjoy the chocolates."

She smiles as she opens the door. "I intend to. You two have fun!"

Olivia looks back at Cynthia one last time and catches her holding up all ten fingers and a thumbs up. As the young couple steps out, Olivia can't help but smile and mouth back, "I know."

* * *

Fitz is finally able to take a breath and cool down once they step out into the refreshing evening air and Cynthia closes her door.

"Well, shit…" Fitz says with a short laugh as he exhales. "That was a little nerve-racking. How'd I do?"

She chuckles. "Babe, you did great. She likes you. And the chocolates were a nice touch," she says, winking at him.

He smiles. "I thought so. And speaking of which…" He lifts up the small bouquet of roses and presents them to her. "For you, beautiful."

Her face lights up again as she takes the roses and he pulls her in closer to him, his arms slipping down to their normal position on the small of her back. "Thank you, kind sir," she tells him, admiring the flowers and then wrapping her hands around the back of his neck.

She was truly stunning in a casual but sexy strapless red and black dress. Her hair was in flirty, flowing curls and she wore minimal make up, not that she needed any in his opinion. And he loved the way she felt in his arms, with her soft skin and her sweet scent.

He presses his lips to hers, relishing in the familiar sensation that he would never tire of. Once they pull apart, he opens the passenger door of his truck for her and she steps inside with a thanking smile.

He used to make fun of guys who did this for their girlfriends, thinking that were just poor, pathetic tools who let themselves be bossed around. But now that Olivia had come into his life, he understood and just wanted to treat her like the queen she was in his eyes.

They head to a local Thai bistro outside of town not too far from where the 4th of July festival is taking place. Fitz had wanted to take her some place nicer but it was all he could afford. However, as they chowed down on flat noodles and shrimp, Olivia looked happy as ever.

About an hour and a half later, they were strolling through a festival of lights, boisterous people, and carnival games, with Olivia looping one arm through Fitz's and pointing at anything she found cool or fascinating with the other.

They walked for a little while, just soaking in the energetic atmosphere, before stopping by a concession stand to buy a bag of skittles since they were both kind of itching for something sugary. They come across their first game called Hoop Shot and Fitz is able to put his basketball skills to the test.

"So, if I get thirty of these shots in 60 seconds, I'll win you that huge panda," Fitz says to Olivia, gesturing to the humongous stuffed animal hanging up on the wall.

Olivia smiles. "Okay. Let's see what you've got."

The game operator starts the clock and Fitz starts shooting, his hands moving like lightning as he makes every shot. But about half through, he starts to lag, missing the hoop several times. Olivia notices this and comes up behind, whispering sensually in his ear, "If you win, I have something _very_ special planned for us back at my house."

Fitz lets out a low growl as he gets his back into the game, picking up his speed and making it to sixty shots in record time. The game operator stares at Fitz with wide eyes as he hands him the prize but Olivia and Fitz just walk off, leaving him in amazement.

They continue on, stopping at many other games, including a target shooting one which Olivia happened to be a natural at even though she swore she had only held a gun once in her life. It inevitably grows darker and that's when the fireworks start. Olivia and Fitz grab an Icee and head to a park by the festival where a crowd of people were already gathered. They snag a spot on the grass and Fitz opens his arms up for Olivia as she sits on his lap and he hugs her from behind, both of them contently watching the vivid lights illuminate the sky.

**To be continued...hopefully by tomorrow. Leave your thoughts in the reviews. Thanks for reading!**


	12. A Night To Remember Pt 2

**Y'all probably thought I wasn't going to drop this chapter today lol. Anyway, here it is! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 12: A Night To Remember Pt. 2**

They get to Stephen's house around 10pm and Olivia is unable to tell whether the party just started or if it had been going for a while because it was so lively. The music was so deafeningly loud that it rattled her bones and the rave lights were so bright and wild that she felt almost completely disoriented. She looks for her friends, grasping tightly to Fitz's hand as they maneuver through a crowd of what felt like a million drunk, dancing teenagers. They decide to go to the back of the house, where's it's a little less crowded and that's where they see Stephen who looked extremely disheveled. He had the words 'Marry Me' written across his bare chest in what looked like red lipstick as he played beer bong and a group of guys loudly cheered him on.

At that moment, Missy Elliot's 'Work It' came on and Olivia grabbed Fitz's hand and pulled him to the dancefloor. They start moving to the rhythm with Fitz holding Olivia at the waist as she grinds against him, putting her hands up in the air. As they continue to dance to other songs, they were totally in sync and when she turns around to face him, he never takes his eyes off of her, especially when she starts to roll her body against him and looks up at him with her sexy doe eyes, looking both angelic and devilish simultaneously. She knew that if it weren't for all the people around them, he wouldn't be able to contain himself. He was barely holding it together, which is why she wasn't surprised when he leaned down and said into her ear, "Let's go somewhere more private."

He pulls her away before she can even nod and they go back inside, making their way through the horde of people in the living room and up the stairs. They nearly stumble over their own feet, barely able to keep their hands off of each other. Fitz finds the closest room and shuts the door, pressing his lips to Olivia's and guiding her back onto the bed in the room. She falls back and pulls him down with her, letting him hover over her as she rakes her fingers through his hair. His lips were all over her neck when the door bursts open and Charlie waltzes in with a girl Olivia had gone to school with at his side. Charlie's mouth gapes open when he realizes his mistake and he lets out a nervous but rowdy laugh. "Oh, my bad, guys! Enjoy yourselves—but just a head's up, Stephen will probably kill you if he finds out you guys screwed on his bed. I promise I won't say shit, though," he tells them with an exaggerated wink that made it look like he had something in his eyes before stumbling out with the girl and shutting the door a little too hard, rattling everything in the room.

Olivia and Fitz look at each other and they both have the same thought. "Let's get out of here," they say at the same time. They make their way out of the room and back downstairs. They notice things have gotten slightly louder as the crowd in the living room chants along to Kris Kross's 'Jump' but what stops Fitz in his tracks is the sight of his 14 year old cousin crowd surfing with a blunt in his hand.

"Oh, my gosh…" Olivia says breathlessly but Fitz wastes no time as he plunges into the crowd and wrestles with the people holding Teddy up to let him down. By the end of the song, Fitz is able to finally get him down and drags him into the kitchen.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing here?" Fitz yells into Teddy's face. "Are you trying to get me killed? And what are you doing with this shit?" Fitz takes the blunt out of Teddy's hand and is surprised to see that it isn't lit because at the moment his cousin was as high as the moon and couldn't focus on anything for a sufficient period of time even if he tried.

"Why are you _so_ purple?" Teddy asks Fitz, squinting at him as if his view was obscured.

Fitz lets out a list of expletives but Olivia gives him a look to just breath and he calms down, slowly inhaling and exhaling. She turns back to Teddy and says, "Sit down here, Teddy, and don't move. I'm going to get you some food, okay?"

Teddy nods exaggeratedly, making his head bounce like a basketball. "Okay. Have I ever told you how pretty you are? Isn't she pretty, Fitz?"

Fitz sighs, remembering to keep his cool as Olivia prepares a snack plate for Teddy. "Yes, yes, she is. But tell me, what did you take? This blunt isn't even lit."

Teddy opens his mouth to answer when he's interrupted by a high-pitched, "Teddy!"

They all turn to see Sandy, Stephen's sister, scurrying towards them. "Where's your blunt? I found the lighter, let's go!" She hollers, tugging at his arm. He starts to get up but Fitz holds him back down. "You're not going anywhere."

Olivia deposits the plate and a cold cup of water in front of Teddy and faces Sandy. "Hey, Sandy, why don't you join us? Have something to eat," Olivia offers in a friendly, persuasive tone.

Sandy turns her nose up at this. "Mmm…no, thanks. Are you coming or not, Teddy?"

"No, he isn't," Fitz answers for his cousin.

She rolls her eyes. "Whatever." And takes off back into the party.

"Like I asked earlier, how did this happen?" Fitz repeats.

"Sandy gave me these really, _really_ good brownies. And I just kept eating them. They were so delicioso!" Teddy answers with a loud laugh.

"Brownies are like the number one drugged food at parties, dumbass. What is wrong with you? Shit…" Fitz scolds. "Once you come down from this, you're going home."

Teddy shrugs with a placid grin on his face. "Whatever you say, man."

Fitz takes a seat on a stool across from his cousin but when he turns his head to his left and sees the person who made his blood boil just by hearing his name, Fitz is back on his feet.

"Hey, Liv," Harrison says, walking up to the kitchen island and leaning towards Olivia, who gives him one look and then cringes in disgust as she moves away.

But all he does is chuckle. "So, you're not going to talk to me?" He asks, shaking his head dismissively. "You know you can't avoid me forever. We're going to school together in the fall."

"So, what? You think that automatically means that I have to acknowledge you, much less be your friend? Go screw yourself, Harrison," she snaps back.

He frowns at this but doesn't back down. "Why are you being such a b—"

But Harrison stops mid-sentence when he catches Fitz inching towards him. "You better not finish that sentence."

Harrison chuckles. "Why don't you go fix a toilet or something?"

Fitz sighs. "Wow, so fucking predictable…why don't you go tell everyone how you really got that black eye? Or better yet, I'll reenact it for everyone to see if you don't get lost!"

Harrison glares back. "Whatever, we were just having a conversation…"

"Yeah, well, I recall her telling you to go screw yourself, so I suggest you do that because if you ever put your hands on my girlfriend again I will beat the shit out of you—again—and I won't hold back this time," Fitz says with a dead-serious look in his eyes.

Harrison nods, finally backing away but since he always wanted to have the last word, he gives Fitz one last look and smirks. "We'll see about that." Then he disappears into the living room.

"I could've handled him," Olivia says. "You can't get into any more trouble, Fitz. You said you wouldn't."

"I know, but I wasn't going to just stand there and let him talk crap to you. And I'm not going to do anything to him, I just said that to scare him away," Fitz tells her with earnest eyes.

Olivia nods and gives him a small smile. "Thanks, anyways." And pecks his lips.

He smiles back. "You never have to thank me for standing up for you," he assures her, pulling her into him and kissing her forehead.

* * *

About an hour later, Teddy seems to have come down from his high so Fitz and Olivia take him home. By time they get to the house it's midnight and even though Nancy had told Fitz that she wouldn't wait up for him, there's a light on in the house. Fitz instructs Teddy to tell Nancy that he'll be back home in the morning after helping Stephen clean up and after Teddy agrees, Fitz and Olivia take off for her house.

"Oh, wait, park your car farther down the street," Olivia tells Fitz as he stops in front of her house.

"I thought your parents were coming back late tomorrow."

"That's what they said but I just want be safe in case they come back early." Fitz does so and they walk the short trek to the house, using the dimly lit streets to guide the way. She inserts the key into the door, letting them in and Fitz is immediately calmed by the peace and quiet in contrast to the wild and reckless party they had just left.

"So, I do really have a surprise," Olivia says enthusiastically as he follows her into what he presumed was the living room and flips on the lights. "I'll be right back," she tells him before taking off into a different room.

Fitz takes a seat on the couch but feels a little out of place because he could tell that the room and the couch especially served as decoration and not something to actually be sat on. He stands up and goes to find Olivia who's in the kitchen, pouring them glasses of wine.

"Wait, is that Merlot?" Fitz asks when he sees the bottle.

Olivia grins and nods. "Yeah. There isn't much left and sometimes my parents let me have the last of whatever's left from their drinks…they think that if they let me drink at home, I won't do it elsewhere," she explains but her smile wavers in response to his silence. "If you don't want to we don't have to, I just thought—"

"I do," he rushes to say, taking the glass from the counter. "I was just thinking about how your parents are a lot more chill when it comes to drinking. If my dad even smelt alcohol on my breath, he'd lose it," Fitz says with a short laugh.

"Oh…so you're okay with it?"

He smiles back at her, kissing her cheek. "I'm the troublesome one, remember? Of course, I'm okay with it," he tells her with a wink.

She laughs, loosening up again but a slightly serious look comes across her face again. "And I also wanted to say thank you for everything tonight. I had a lot of fun."

He grins, feeling proud. "I'm glad."

She puts her hand on the nape of his neck, pulling him down to her and brings his lips to hers. His hand slides down to her hip as he deepens the kiss but just as his tongue touches the tip of her mouth, she pulls back and says in a breathy, suggestive tone, "Let's go up to my room."

Within twenty minutes, the wine is finished and Olivia and Fitz are way past wasted as they lay on her bed, unable to keep their hands off of each other. As Fitz goes to work on her neck, Olivia asks him, "Do you want the lights on or off?"

"Why?" He pants.

She smiles widely. "Because I want you to make love to me."

He stops and looks up at her and she gives him a reassuring nod. He smirks devilishly. "On."

He starts by zipping off her dress and unclipping her bra, leaving a trail of kisses starting from her shoulder blade down to her chest. He grazes her sides, running his fingers gently across her baby soft skin, enjoying the way her body felt. He makes his way over to her breasts flicking his tongue across the skin and smiling at how she shivers at this sensation. But he could tell that she was a little nervous and tense and he wondered if this was her first time. "It's okay, Livvie. Just trust me. You're going to love it." He wanted her to feel as comfortable as possible and still enjoy it.

She arches her back as he leaves wet, slow, soft kisses all over her upper body, wanting to make her feel both at ease and aroused. He makes his way down her body, taking his time, and he feels her gradually adjusting to him and loosening up, allowing him to take full control. As he caresses a line up from her stomach, she releases a wild moan and shifts her body, bucking her hips, urging him to get to where he wanted. He sits on his knees and pulls off his shirt in a swift motion, keeping his eyes on her face. She stares up at him, looking mesmerized as she brings her hand up and trails his chiseled abs. Just her touch was lighting his skin on fire but he grew even more aroused as he fingers fell down to the edge of his belt. He let out a soft groan as she undid the clasp and slid down his pants. A small, timid smile comes across her face when she sees his erect member and she reaches out her hand, grasping it as if in wonder or fascination. A wave of pride comes over Fitz and he chuckles as their eyes meet and smiles back at her. She lets go, allowing him to pull down his boxers. He gently pulls down her panties, leaving them both totally exposed to each other. She blushes as his eyes gaze intensely over her whole body, captivated by her beauty.

He slips on the condom he got from his pants and then hovers back over her, pecking both her cheeks comfortingly before pressing his lips to hers. "I'm going to start now," he whispers against them and she nods, giving him the go ahead. He slowly slides into her, watching her face for any sign of discomfort, which there is at first, but her walls quickly adjust to his size. He takes her legs and throws them over his shoulders, allowing him to move in deeper. He starts slow and controlled thrusts, allowing her to get used to the sensation before speeding up. She claws at his back while urging him to continue and releasing the sexiest of moans with each thrust. He had never heard her make the sounds she was making now but they were definitely sounds he wanted to hear again.

By time he pulls out, he had made her come—twice and he could tell that she had just been on the ride of her life. He collapses next to her, totally exhausted and for a good minute they lay together in a hot, sweaty mess of limbs, catching their breaths. He discards the condom into the waste basket by her bed and then turns to her, peppering her face with kisses before leaving a lingering one on her shoulder and pulling her into him. She caresses and buries her face into his chest. "Are you okay?" He asks.

She nods. "Yeah, better than okay. That was nice...really, _really_ nice, actually" she says softly with a small giggle, at loss for a better way to describe how she felt.

He smiles and slips his finger under her chin, tipping her head up towards him. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

She kiss his lips and as he pulls back he asks, "Was this your first time?"

She shakes her head. "Not really, I mean, I wish it was and it way it sort of felt like it but my first wasn't much of a first. It happened back in sophomore year with this guy I kind of liked. We were both just curious to try it so while we were working on a project for school at his house, we decided to do it. We were about twenty seconds into it when his mom walked in on us. It was so embarrassing…" Olivia says, laughing about now.

"Seriously? What did she do?"

"She just told us to get dressed and had me leave. My parents never found out but I never really hang out with him ever again. He moved away last summer. What about you?" She says, nudging him.

He stares up at the ceiling and sighs. "It's actually kind of embarrassing, too."

"Tell me!" She prods.

"Well, I was fourteen at the time and, you know, it was my first year of high school so I wanted to make an impression and be cool and all that crap so I spread this rumor that I was banging this senior cheerleader that all the guys were basically in love with. So she found out I was spreading the rumor and surprisingly, she wasn't even mad. She actually told me that I was kinda cute. So one night when we were at this party she asked me if I had even had sex before and I admitted I hadn't so she told me to follow her into a room and it happened there. She never really explained why she did it—I think she kind of felt bad for me."

"Did you enjoy it?" Olivia asks with a smirk.

He chuckles. "It was really awkward and weird to be honest."

She nods and then hesitates before timidly asking, "Did it feel awkward with me?" He was far more experienced than her when it came to sexual ventures and she knew that he could tell she was nervous so she figured that must've made it less enjoyable for him.

He kisses her shoulder and gives her a reassuring smile. "No, it felt really natural. I know this sounds a little cheesy but it made me feel closer to you, almost in a spiritual or deeper sense."

She smiles and nods. "I know exactly what you mean."

He returns the gesture but a pensively sad expression comes over his face. "I wish this had been my first time. I'm not happy with my track record. Before sex was something I did as basically a recreational activity or whenever I got upset or angry but I'm seeing that it's so much more than that—when it's with someone you care about. This is the first time I've actually made love to anyone."

"Then I guess this is actually a first for both of us," she tells him softly, kissing his jawline and snuggling deeper into him. She nuzzles her head into his neck as his arms enclose tighter around her, making her feel like the safest and most satisfied person in the world. Fitz switches off the lamp on the desk by her bed and they stay in silence, just happy to be in each other's arms and happy that their relationship was burgeoning, and slowly doze off.

* * *

Olivia wakes up, curled into Fitz who is still fast asleep on his stomach with his face turned away from her but he still has his arm wrapped possessively around her. She smiles subtly as she feels the sweet soreness between her thighs that served as a reminder of the night before.

She decides to go back to sleep, feeling like her mind and body still wanted another hour or so when she hears what sounds like two voices resonating downstairs. At first she thought it was just Miriam, the chef, and Mary, the maid, but the closer she listened, she was able to make out a male voice and a distinct female's voice—specifically her mother's.

"Fitz, babe, get up!" She urges, nudging him.

He groans and twists his head over to face her but doesn't open his eyes, mumbling, "Just a few more minutes. Your bed is so comfortable."

He snuggles deeper into the covers but she shakes him again, saying in a hushed yell. "You can't, my parents are here!"

His eyes spring open as a look of horror takes over his face. "What? I thought they were coming back later. What time is it?"

"Almost noon. We slept for too long. I have to find a way to sneak you out of here. Maybe when the coast is clear, you can—" Olivia freezes, motioning for Fitz to keep quiet as she listens for her mom's voice, which she can hardly make out but she's pretty sure she hears her tell Eli, "I'm going to go check on Olivia. I'm surprised she hasn't woken up yet. Maybe she was out late partying I guess…"

"You have to hide," Olivia tells Fitz, hearing the sound of her mother's heels as they made it to the top of the stairs. "Go under the covers."

"Why don't I just hide in the closet?" He suggests.

"I don't know if there's enough time."

Fitz rushes to go under the sheets and comforter, slightly having to bend his legs so that his feet didn't peek out. Olivia throws a couple more blankets until he's totally covered and pushes his clothes under the bed then she covers herself again and tries to look calm.

Seconds later her mother opens the door. "Good morning, Olivia. I see you slept in."

"Yeah, I slept kind of late last night. Stephen had that party he throws every year."

"Ah, that's right..." She nods, pausing before awkwardly adding, "Did you have fun?"

"Oh, yeah, it was a lot of fun," Olivia says, wanting to wrap this interaction up. "I want to know how your guys' trip went but let me get dressed first. I'll be down in a minute."

Maya nods and smiles. "Okay. Miriam's finishing brunch so we'll be in the kitchen."

"Okay, thanks, Mom." As soon as Maya closes the door, Olivia releases a breath she didn't realize she had been holding in and she feels Fitz do the same.

"Let me lock the door," Olivia says, getting up and quickly doing so. Fitz digs his way out of the covers, grabbing his shirt from under the bed and slipping it on. He peeks through the window and says, "I think I can get out through here. Is there a camera?"

"No, but are you sure? It's a little high."

"I've jumped from higher. I can also use the window ledge to make the way down smoother."

"Only if you're sure."

"Shit…where are my boxers?" Fitz mutters, scanning the room for any sign of them. Olivia looks under the bed but doesn't see them. She helps him search but she can't help but think about how wacky two naked teenagers running around a room aimlessly would look to an outsider. After minutes of a rigorous search they come up empty.

"Well, this sucks. It's not like I flung them across the room or anything, I just slipped them off..."

"If I find them I'll return them to you," Olivia tells him with a small smile, thinking the whole ordeal was ridiculously hilarious.

Fitz puts his pants on and tells her teasingly, "You know, if you wanted something to remember me by, I could've just given you a jacket or a shirt. I had no idea you were into kinkiness."

She laughs, rolling her eyes. Fitz slips on his shoes then props open the window and surveys the height to the ground, planning out his descent. He turns back to face her one last time, giving her a quick but fervent kiss.

"I have to admit that this sneaking around has quite a thrill to it," she tells him once they pull apart. "But I also wish we could've woken up together without almost being scared to death."

He flashes her his signature sexy grin, pecking her lips again. "Next time we'll go somewhere where we'll have all the time in the world. That way I can make you feel good _over_ and _over_ again," he tells her in a deep, suave tone that makes her want to pull him back onto her bed and rip all of his clothes off.

He doesn't wait for her reply, already satisfied by the longing expression on her face. He begins his descent, gripping the exterior window ledge firmly and pressing his feet onto the wall. She sees how strong he is when at one point he holds up his entire body with just his hands before gingerly placing his feet on the window ledge below him and finally jumping to the side of it in a kneeling position. He dusts off his hands and gives her a two-fingered salute which she returns before takes off, trying to stay out of any camera's view.

**And there it is. Next up is the dinner with Liv's parents...yikes! Leave your reviews for me. Thanks for reading!**


	13. Who Are You Really?

**Long chapter…hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 13: Who Are You Really?**

Fitz glanced at the clock on his dresser and mentally took note of the fact that he was making good time. He had to be at the Pope residence by 7 sharp and since it was a twenty minute drive, he still had thirty minutes before the top of the hour, and he was almost ready to go.

He stands in front of the bathroom mirror, staring back at himself and wondering if they would figure out that his dress shirt was cheap. It certainly felt cheap with its scratchy material but it was all he could afford. And it almost physically hurt to even glance at the horrendous way he had knotted the tie around his neck because even though he had watched three different YouTube videos on how to do it properly, he couldn't quite get the hang of it. He sighs, turning his head up towards the ceiling and closing his eyes as he releases a big puff of air from his mouth, wondering if he could really do this.

"Hot date?" He turns his head to see his aunt standing in the door way, wearing a knowing smirk on her face.

"What?" He asks as if he hadn't heard her when really he was just a little thrown off by her sneaking up on him.

"Let me help you." She makes her way over to him and wrestles with the complex knots around his neck before yanking the tie off. "Let me guess—dinner with the parents."

Fitz thinks about denying her assumptions but he could tell there was no way he could convince her otherwise—especially with the way he was dressed. "Yeah…" He mumbles.

She raises her eyebrows as if she's surprised. "You must be serious then. Who's the lucky girl?"

Fitz can't help the coy smile that makes its way onto his face. "Olivia. She's amazing."

A slight frown comes over her face. "Olivia? As in Olivia Pope?"

"Yeah…why is that so shocking?"

She stares back at him sympathetically for a second then shakes her head. "No reason, you should just be aware that her parents are a little…high maintenance."

"I know, and I know that there's a chance that they won't like me…her dad already kind of has a vendetta against me…it's a long story," he says quickly before she can ask. "But I don't care. I want to be with her and I'm going to."

He wears a look of determination and for the first time that night, he feels more confident than he has all week. And it was true—he was going to be with Olivia no matter what anyone said and he wasn't going to let anyone sway him.

Nancy nods and forces a smile. She finishes helping him with the tie and then smooths out the wrinkles on his shirt and adjusts his collar. "Well, it looks like you're ready."

He catches an eerie look in her eye as she stares back at him and can't help but ask, "What is it?"

She shakes her head. "You just look so much like your father right now, before he started graying."

Fitz didn't know if he was supposed to take that as a compliment or not so he just nodded and smiled back at her gratefully. "Thanks."

He starts to make his way out of the room when she calls out, "Oh, and Fitz."

He looks back at her. "You should bring her over sometime, maybe for a meal or something—if you want."

He smiles back at her. "Yeah, I think she'd like that."

* * *

Fitz was cruising down main street, only ten minutes away from Olivia's house now and looking to be about ten minutes early. He could almost imagine how impressed her parents would be when he showed up on their doorstep early, looking polished and sharp.

He stops at a red light when his phone starts ringing. The caller ID showed Charlie's number and Fitz frowns at this, thinking it was odd he was getting a call instead of a text.

Fitz figures Charlie's probably calling about getting wasted or high or TPing a neighbor's house so he picks up the phone, puts it on speaker, and answers with a disinterested, "Hello."

"Uh…hey." There's a bit of worry in Charlie's tone but Fitz hastily dismisses it as he says, "Hey, look. I can't go out partying or messing around with you guys tonight—"

"That's not why I called…it's about Stephen."

"What about him?" Fitz asks, growing more suspicious.

"He's at the hospital—not because anything's wrong with him…it's his sister, Sandy. She was stabbed."

"What?" Fitz exclaims.

"Yeah. He had another little party a few hours ago and while it was going on he found her in the backyard with a knife in her thigh."

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine now. They were able to stabilize the bleeding at the hospital. Luckily the knife didn't hit a major artery or anything but it was kinda scary."

"Who did it?"

"I have no idea. She claims that the guy was wearing a mask and ran off before she could identify him."

"Shit…how's Stephen?"

"He's hanging in there. I was actually calling to see if you could maybe stay with him—just for like twenty minutes or so while I go home and change and get us something to eat. I don't feel right about leaving him alone."

Fitz's immediate thought was to say he was busy or to ask Charlie if one of their other friends could do it, but he really did care about Stephen and even though Olivia and her parents were already waiting for him, he felt like saying no would make him a bad and heartless friend. He hoped the Popes would understand. "Alright, I'll be there. Where's it at?"

He spent the next fifteen minutes driving to the town's hospital and recounting what Charlie had told him to Olivia. She told him that it was okay if they just called off the whole dinner but he told her to just wait for now so that he could see what kind of shape Stephen was in. She agreed to hold off her parents and then they hung up as Fitz arrived at the hospital.

Fitz found Stephen in waiting room, hunched over with his elbows balanced on each knee and an intense look on his face. He looked like an old man with his unusually pale skin and bloodshot eyes that told Fitz that he had probably been crying early.

"Hey, man," Fitz says awkwardly, slowly taking a seat next to him.

Stephen looks up in surprise. "What are you doing here?" He asks in a hoarse voice.

"Charlie told me what happened. I wanted to see how you were doing. I'm so sorry, dude…how is she now?"

"She's fine, she's resting. She'll need crutches but she'll be alright. She should be out by tonight."

"Well, that's good," Fitz says with a hopeful smile.

Stephen returns the gesture but there isn't much joy in it as he says, "Yeah, I guess so."

He stares off into space again but by the look in his eyes, Fitz can tell there's something else he wants to say. "What is it?"

He sighs and leans back in his chair. "It's just…I met you like a month ago and I've only really gotten to know you over these past couple of weeks and here you are, rushing to a hospital just to comfort me, and I'm not even the one who got hurt. But I just called my parents and, yeah, they feel bad and everything and they talked to Sandy and told her that they would find out who did this but they were just so calm about it. Neither of them is even considered cutting their trips short to see her. Dad told me he was in the middle of closing some big deal and he couldn't afford to screw it up and Mom didn't even see the point in coming if Sandy was okay since she has 'a once-in-a-lifetime Take Flight Over Europe' ride scheduled that she just couldn't miss. It's like they just don't fucking care. I try not to let it bother me but every time something like this happens and they're away, their behavior still surprises me, like I think they'll be different. I guess I'm just an idiot for thinking so, huh?"

"Nah, man, this isn't on you. I mean, they're your parents and yeah, they do a sucky job, but…you get what you get," he says with a shrug. "My dad wasn't really always around—mostly because he was working his ass off to put food on the table. And my mom…" Fitz fades off and shakes his head dismissively, feeling his mind going to a place it only went on his darkest days. "I didn't really always have anyone there to point me in the right direction and I've screwed up because of it, but I'm making a change. I want to be better, especially now that I've met Olivia—she brings out the best in me, she makes me better. And you, even though you can be a crazy son of a bitch at times, you've done pretty well so far. I mean, you're going to freakin Columbia in the fall, you've got a pretty nice future laid out before you, you're smart—"

"Do you think I'm sexy, too?" Stephen asks with a dead serious expression before a sly grin comes across his face.

Fitz laughs. "I don't know how Olivia would feel about me saying yes to that."

Stephen cocks an eyebrow. "She doesn't have to know."

"Hey, back off, man," Fitz chuckles, playfully shoving him and making him erupt in laughter. Fitz smiles, glad friend was slowly coming back.

"But seriously, don't sell yourself short. Your parents may not be around or doing their jobs right but you are, especially with Sandy. You guys will be alright."

Stephen nods. "Thanks. That's…something I needed to hear."

"You're welcome." They sit in silence for a few minutes before Stephen turns to Fitz and says, "So…why are you dressed like that? I wanted to ask you when you came in."

"Uh…I was on my way to dinner with Olivia's parents."

He cringes. "Oh…damn, I'm so sorry."

Fitz shakes his head vigorously. "Nah, don't worry about it. I'm not that late and I really wanted to see if you were okay."

"Oh, well, I wasn't apologizing for you coming to see me, though, now that you've said it, I do feel a little guilty. I said sorry because you're going to have to spend your evening with Kim Jong-Eli and his slightly nicer but still uptight wife. I'll pray for you, man," Stephen says, cracking up at his joke but all Fitz could do was wonder for the hundredth time that day what he was getting himself into.

"Just don't be sloppy and track mud into the house…or almost break a vase like I did. Mrs. Pope gave me her signature evil eye and Mr. Pope wouldn't stop calling me a careless hooligan. I was twelve at the time but even today they won't let me go into the house by myself," he says with a shrug.

"I'll be sure not to do that."

"What time were you supposed to be there?"

"At 7," he answers as they both check the hospital's clock which reads that it's 7:06.

"You gotta go, dude. If you leave now and gas it, you can get there by 7:15."

Fitz shakes his head. "It's okay, Olivia knows that I'm running late. I'm staying, at least until Charlie comes back."

"What, did he tell you to babysit me or something? I'm fine, but you won't be if you end up being twenty minutes late for a meeting with the Popes."

"Dinner," Fitz corrects.

"Trust me, it's going to feel like a CIA interrogation by time it's over—but I believe in you!" He says with a wide grin.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Fitz grumbles.

"Now get going," Stephen says, ushering Fitz out of his seat. "And be the most charming man on the planet."

Fitz nods as if this was practical advice and sucks in a deep breath, like he was gearing up for the most difficult mission of his life—and he supposed, it kind of was. He slowly starts for the exit but turns back around when Stephen hollers, "And Fitz—thanks for coming, man."

Fitz returns the smile and then turns back around, leaving the hospital.

* * *

He was tired, he still felt bad about leaving Stephen at the hospital, and his nerves weren't helping. He was considering backing out of the dinner but he could just imagine the disappointed look on Olivia's face. This was too important to her and he wasn't about to let her or her parents down. So he took a deep breath and kept driving to her house and when he arrived, he texted her that he was parked in front of her house. He needed a few moments with her to calm him down a little before he met her parents.

She looked so perfect as she came rushing down the driveway in a mint blue skater dress with a v-neck that was high enough for her parents' satisfaction but low enough for Fitz's liking as it hinted at her cleavage. Her hair was also done up in a way he had never seen before but he loved it—she looked like a princess.

"Hey," she says, throwing her arms around his neck and giving him a quick kiss.

Fitz pulls her in more for a hug, knowing the feel of her body pressed up against his would soothe him even more. "Hey, sorry I'm so late."

"No, it's not your fault. I told my parents why, they understand…I feel so bad for Sandy and Stephen, though. Who would do something like that?"

He shakes his head. "I don't know. But they'll pull through," he assures her and then takes her hands and says, "Look, let's just focus on this dinner. Afterward, if you want we can swing by and see how they're both doing."

She nods slowly and smiles. "Okay."

"You're going to do great," she tells him, and the look in her eyes is so sincere and so sure that he's almost completely convinced—almost.

They approach the door and with every step, his heart pumps a little faster and beats a little louder until they stop at the door and Olivia lets them in. _Be the most charming man on the planet_, he chants to himself. He had no idea why Stephen's words were now coming back to him but he could sense his heartrate slowly coming down so he figured they were helping—or maybe it was just the smell of delicious food wafting throughout the house.

"Our chef Miriam made ratatouille for dinner," Olivia says, guessing what was on his mind. "It's so delicious."

She guides him into the kitchen where her parents are seated in their respective spots, waiting patiently and casually conversing. "Mom, Dad, Fitz is here."

"Hi," Fitz manages to say but curses himself when his voice slightly cracks. Either Mr. or Mrs. Pope don't hear it or they don't care because as Fitz goes around the table to shake their hands, he's met with a subtle, greeting nod from Eli and a pleasant smile from Maya.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Maya says.

"You as well, ma'am," Fitz responds and then makes his way over to Eli who shakes firmly. "And we've already met," he says disinterestedly.

"Uh, that's right. Um, thank you for having me—sir," Fitz says awkwardly. He clears his throat as he addresses both of them. "I'm sorry that I'm so late. I didn't mean to keep you waiting."

"Oh, it's not your fault. I'm glad to hear that everyone is okay," Maya tells him.

Fitz smiles as best he can. "Thanks."

"Well…" Fitz says, rubbing his hands together, like he had been waiting long enough to get this show on the road. "Shall we begin?"

The dinner starts out well—at least Fitz thought it was going well. He wasn't choking and he felt relaxed but he soon realizes that this was likely due to the fact that Maya and Eli were too busy engaging in their own conversation and had been for the past ten minutes. At first Fitz was fine with it but as time dragged on, he knew it was unusual. He was hesitant to start a conversation, wary of which direction it would go in but he couldn't just sit there either.

Amidst a pause in their discussion, Fitz decides to go with, "You have a lovely home," thinking it was as good a conversation-starter as any.

Maya smiles back and he can tell he made the right choice because she beams as she responds, "Oh, thank you. I used pieces from all over the world to decorate. Many of them are antiques."

"Wow, that's…impressive," Fitz says slowly.

"So, Fitz, tell us about yourself," Maya says, subtly leaning forward. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from New Jersey, but I'm staying here with my aunt for the summer."

"Why is that?" Eli asks, slathering butter onto a bread roll.

"Uh…I just haven't seen her in a while so my dad thought it'd be a good idea to spend the summer with her," Fitz explains and technically it wasn't a lie.

Maya nods understandingly. "Ah, before you go off to college. That's nice."

Fitz chuckles anxiously. "Well…"

"Where will you be attending in the fall?" Eli asks casually but the look in his eyes tells Fitz he was searching for something more—a weak spot.

And he was about to find it. "Actually…I'm not going to college."

Maya's mouth drops open in shock but Eli couldn't be less surprised. Fitz feels his cheeks heating up and not even the sensation of Olivia soothingly running her hand over his thigh under the table could calm him.

"Well, I was actually thinking of going to art school…maybe…it's just an idea," Fitz rushes to say.

Eli scoffs. "Art school…you do know that being able to draw a few shapes and stick figures doesn't exactly make you a Picasso."

Fitz furrows his eyebrows at this, trying not to get angry. "I _do_ know that."

"You should see his drawings. Fitz is really talented, Dad," Olivia chimes in, giving Fitz an encouraging smile. He tightens his grip on her hand under the table.

Eli chuckles, bringing a glass of water to his lips. "I'm sure he is."

"So, you want to be an art teacher, then?" Maya guesses.

Fitz shrugs. "I'm not really sure what I want to do right now."

Maya's breath hitches like she had just witnessed someone spill a drink on her immaculate floor. "I see…"

Fitz opens his mouth to explain himself further when a woman and a man come from the kitchen carrying platters of food but he decides to keep his mouth shut, thinking he's already said enough.

This was the first time Fitz had ever had ratatouille and even though it was delicious like Olivia said it would be, he couldn't thoroughly enjoy it because his mind was more occupied with the deafening silence at the table. He had never felt the urge to disappear more in his entire life than in that moment.

Fifteen minutes later, the woman and the man come back from the kitchen, taking everyone's empty plates and switching them out with bowls of crème brûlée. The quiet drags on for a few more moments until Maya decides to re-open the conversation. "What about your parents, Fitz? What do they do?"

Fitz takes a deep breath, composing himself and feeling determined not to screw up this time. But he wanted to impress them, and so far the truth wasn't working—so he thought he'd add a little exaggeration. "My dad works all over the place, helping people."

Technically not a lie. His father had multiple jobs, mostly low-paying, but they weren't all with the same company and he did _help_ people in a very indirect way.

"Oh, so he travels a lot and does service work?"

Fitz nods. "Yeah, you could say that."

"And what about your mother?" Eli asks.

Fitz swallows hard, trying not to freeze at the question but he can't help it. He reaches for his glass of water, his hand trembling, and takes a long sip which gives him the strength he needs to continue, "She's…she's not like him. She prefers to stay in one place."

"So, she stays home," Maya assumes.

"Pretty much," Fitz mumbles, feeling like he was suffocating.

"And your aunt?"

"Nancy Grant, is it?" Eli asks and Fitz nods stoically as he continues, "She's Phil's secretary."

"Oh, I think I've met her. She's a very nice—"

"Would you guys excuse me for a second?" Fitz blurts. "I need to use the bathroom."

He gets up before anyone can say anything, ripping his hand away from Olivia's and hightailing it out of there. He remembers the way from the night Olivia had brought him over and as soon as he closes the door shut, he rushes to the sink and splashes his face with water, welcoming the refreshing cool sensation it gave him. He sits down on the toilet seat and leans over, burying his face in his hands and mentally chastising himself for choking. It was going well for a minute but just the thought of his mom had triggered so many feelings that he had spent years trying to bury and he wasn't ready for them to resurface. He wasn't sure he'd ever be ready.

And as if things couldn't get worse for him that night, through the walls, he could hear Eli's voice, "…not going to work. I can't believe I let you two suck me into this. I mean, are you serious, Olivia?"

"Yes, Dad, I am serious. He's nervous, okay? He just wants to impress you and this whole twenty questions game you guys are playing with him is making it even harder on him. So could you guys just back off?"

"Making him nervous was not my intention, I just wanted to know more about him. He wasn't being very open," Maya says.

He hears Olivia sigh. "I don't even know why I thought this would work. Now I feel like a bitch for making him agree to this."

"Well, I just feel like I've wasted my time. I mean, I didn't need this dinner to tell you both that he's no good. I had work I could've been doing back at the office. I took time out of my day, out of my schedule to make this work and be here."

"If it was such a big problem, maybe you should've just not come, then, Dad," Olivia says, the fire in her voice surprising even Fitz.

"You can be as angry at me as you want, Olivia, but you know I'm going to give it to you straight. That's how I am and that's how I always will be. I know you like this boy, maybe for his good looks, because that's really all he has going for him, but he is a waste of your time. He's not going anywhere, he has no plans, no ambition, and no direction and he will drag you down if you let him. I mean, you're going off to Yale, arguably the most prestigious university in the whole world, for goodness sake! You are going to be one of the finest lawyers that this country has ever seen someday but Fitz doesn't fit into those plans. You can mess around with him for the summer but before you leave for college, just try and break it to him gently."

"You're wrong." But it wasn't Olivia who spoke then. Fitz must've been on some auto-pilot mode because he didn't even realize that he was standing in the doorway of the dining room, facing the Popes, facing Eli until those words left his mouth. "You're wrong," he says again, adding, "Wrong about me, I mean."

Eli raises his eyebrows, not hiding the fact that he was at least a little surprised to see Fitz standing there. Maya wore a guilty look on her face and Olivia was frozen in place with dread in her eyes, probably wishing she could go back and stop everything that had happened tonight, and stop him now before he made things worse, but Fitz wasn't leaving without having her parents hear what he needed to say.

"I know you think that I'm just some crazy, no-good, juvenile delinquent with a pretty face that's going to steer your daughter away from her goals and her future but I'm not. I tell Olivia everyday how proud I am of her and how great she is and every minute that I spend with her, I can't help but be flattered just to be around her because she lights up my whole world. I wouldn't want anything but the best for her. I…" he faces her, making eye contact. "I love her. I'm _in_ love with her, and I'm in this with her for the long run," he tells them, his voice succumbing to emotion.

Olivia looked like she wanted to cry or smile or scream or pass out, all at the same time. And Fitz wanted to just scoop her up in his arms and run as far away from her parents and anyone else who was against them, but he couldn't do that—but most of all he wasn't done. He faces Eli. "And me, I have high hopes for myself. I plan to do something amazing with my life. And just because I don't have it all figured out right now doesn't mean that I'm a lost cause or a waste of space. I _am_ good enough. And when I make it, you're going to feel like a fool for ever doubting me."

Fitz watches as Eli's eyes widen and for the first time in minutes, he's able to exhale. "Excuse me, but I have to leave now. It was truly a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Pope. I hope you two have a lovely evening."

Fitz's legs were racing as fast as his mind but it felt like he still couldn't move fast enough until he made it outside and the cool night air hit his skin, bringing him back to his sense. Adrenaline coursed through his body and only as he made it to his car and leaned against the driver door did it begin to subside. He was torn between thinking that he had just done the most courageous and remarkable thing in his life or that he had just made the most horrible, idiotic mistake ever. But he didn't have much time to mill over it as he heard the sound of Olivia's shoes pattering against the pavement. "Fitz!"

He hesitates before stepping out from behind the truck and facing her. She stops a few feet in front of him, almost as if she's afraid that if she gets too close, he'll fall to pieces right before her. "I'm—I'm so sorry. I didn't expect this to happen at all…I mean, I knew there was a chance it could end up being this bad but I had hoped things would go a lot better. I shouldn't have forced you into this."

"Liv, I made the decision on my own. It's not your fault. None of this is. I'm the one who screwed up…" Fitz says softly.

"You did the best you could tonight. Under the circumstances. And you had every right to put my father in his place for saying those things about you."

"No, I was out of line. I can't believe I said all that. He's going to definitely hate me now."

She reaches out for him. "Fitz, it's okay—"

He shakes his head and snaps, "I don't need you to be nice or console me right now!"

She shrinks back and he immediately feels guilty for raising his voice at her. "I'm sorry, I just…need to be alone right now. I need time to myself to just think. I think I at least deserve that after tonight."

She nods silently, looking away from him as she utters, "Okay," her voice slightly cracking.

He knew that she was hurting and confused but so was he. He had told himself over and over again that he wouldn't let anyone, especially her parents, get in the way of what they had but tonight he felt like a threat to their relationship had just become even realer with her dad blatantly telling her, with him in their house, that she would have to end things with him by the end of the summer. And after the big speech he had just given them, he knew this changed everything, and not necessarily for the better.

"I'm going to go now," he says slowly, his eyes downcast.

He begins to walk away but her voice stops him after a few seconds, cutting like a blade through the tense air between them, "Did you really mean it?"

He whips his head back. "What?" He asks before realizing what she was referring to.

"That you love me?" She asks, pausing a second before continuing, "You said it once—that night you were drunk but I wasn't sure you meant it _because_ you were drunk. Do you mean it now?"

No question had ever seemed so important and yet it was the easiest for him to answer because within the next second, he was taking three long strides to her before taking her face in his hands and pressing his lips to hers. As their tongues danced together, for a moment, he wanted nothing more than to take her into his car and show her just how much he loved her, but like he had told her, he needed time to seriously think and to be alone, and he couldn't do that with her around.

He pulls back, still holding her face in his hand. "Yes, I love you, Livvie. No matter what happens, I love you."

She nods and a tiny grin climbs its way to her face. "I love you, too. I've wanted to say that for a while now but I didn't want to scare you away."

"You could never scare me away. I'm still in this with you. But right now, I just need to clear my head. I need some time by myself to do it. Please," he asks softly.

She nods. "Yeah, okay, whatever you need." She steps back and says again, "I love you," and Fitz can't help but smile at how easily the words roll off her tongue and for a second he could've sworn that he saw the future—their future—in her eyes. In that moment, he had seen his soulmate.

"I love you," he says back. He leans in and kisses her forehead, whispering against it, "Goodnight, sweet baby."

She smiles into his chest. "Goodnight, Fitz."

* * *

It was now dark and the streets were empty as Fitz leisurely drove down main street, taking his time. But he wasn't going home just yet. The dinner had ended earlier than planned and if he came back home so soon, Nancy would know something had happened. Besides, doing some nice, focused thinking was a little difficult when Sophia the First reruns were playing right through the walls of his bedroom.

So, he decided he would go to the place that seemed to give almost everyone solace and peace—the beach. He was about five minutes from his favorite spot when his train of thought was interrupted by someone yelling from outside of the truck. He couldn't identify the voice or discern what was being said but he quickly saw the black figure, walking dutifully in the opposite direction of where Fitz was going. The person appeared to have a phone pressed to their ear and even though he couldn't see their face, by the way he or she was wildly waving his or her free hand, he could tell the person was pretty pissed. Fitz slows down a little, not enough to look suspicious but just enough to stay in a visual vicinity of the person, and tries to listen carefully. Serious threats were being made by the sound of it, making Fitz feel bad for whoever was on the other end, but Fitz knew he had to keep driving, especially when the person turned his head in Fitz's direction and watched the truck pass by. Fitz still couldn't make out the face but he knew there was something familiar about that voice and something even more familiar happened to catch his eye at the last second, just as his peripheral vision cut off the person from his view. But the image was in Fitz's mind. Through the dim light of a streetlamp, he was able to make out on the sweatshirt the person was wearing, a logo of a tiger, almost like a mascot, but Fitz could've sworn he'd seen it once or maybe even a few times before, he just couldn't remember where.

He didn't know why the whole scenario bothered him so much but even five minutes later as he finally arrived at the beach, it was still on his mind. And that was when something else struck him as odd—in the fifteen minutes that he had been driving, Fitz hadn't seen even a stray dog in sight. The streets had been soulless—except for that one person.

* * *

After talking to Fitz outside, Olivia hadn't even bothered with her parents again and went straight up to her room. Although the majority of it had gone sour, she and Fitz had still managed to end the night on a good note between them and she wasn't about to ruin that by letting her father spew even more judgment on her. She took a shower, put on her pajamas, turned off all the lights, and got into bed, snuggling up closely to the parts of her sheets and pillow that still smelled like Fitz and smiling happily. He had said—no, proclaimed he loved her tonight—and not just to her but to her parents. And while that moment it had been one of the most terrifying, exhilarating times of her life, it was also one of the sweetest and most heartfelt things anyone had ever done. For a moment she had thought that this dinner was going to be the end of them but it had ended up bringing them closer together. And if he was in this for the long run, then she would put her all into making it work.

She was starting to drift off to sleep when she heard a knock on her door and after a three-second delay, her mother, peeked her head through. "I'm sorry, I wasn't sure if you were sleeping. I just wanted to talk to you for a second."

"I was trying to sleep. And if you want to talk about Fitz, I've already heard enough for the night," Olivia says, turning her body to face away from her mother.

"You know, your father is just trying to protect you, right? That's all he cares about. That's all we care about. You've worked so hard, Olivia. We'd hate to see you just throw it away."

"But I'm not going to throw it away. I know you guys don't see it but Fitz makes me better. He gives me a reason to push harder and stronger and he makes me want to be the best that I can be. He's my person. He brings out the best in me. And I love him for it."

After a while she doesn't hear anything, making her wonder if her mom is still there when she feels Maya take a seat on the bed and sighs. "He certainly has a lot of guts. Confessing his love for you to us, calling your father a fool for doubting him. I don't know of many teenage boys that would do that—for the right reasons."

"What do you mean?" Olivia asks, still facing the wall.

"I know you think that tonight was just a big interrogation or, as you said, game of twenty questions, but Olivia, I pay very close attention to detail. It's what I built my entire business on, it's why everything in this house is so intricately designed—it's probably also why since the day you were born, you were destined to be a type A personality. Your father swears you get it from him, but it's definitely from me. Anyway, as I said, I pay attention to detail. I watch, I observe, and that's what I did tonight. I wasn't asking Fitz questions merely just to get to know him or to psych him out—I wanted to see if he was genuine, if his reactions were genuine. And from what I saw this evening, that was very much the case. Your father and I may be wary of him but there's no doubting that he's madly in love with you. I could see it in his eyes—the yearning, the desire, the fascination…the way he looks at you…he really loves you. And I can see this even more so because—"

"You pay attention to detail," Olivia guesses.

She senses her mother smile. "Because that's the way your father looks at me."

She pauses a moment before saying slowly, "I know I can be hard on you but you're getting older. You're going to be an adult soon and I have to accept the fact that you're not a baby anymore. This is your life. Your father and I can only do so much to prepare you for what lies ahead but eventually it's up to you. And while I don't want you to miss out on the wonderful things that the future has in store for you if you stay focused, I also don't want you to miss out on true happiness—and love. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Olivia nods. "I think so."

"Okay, then." And with that, Maya stands up and heads for the door as if this whole heart-to-heart conversation had never happened. Olivia had never seen that side of her mom before and she still was deciding on whether or not she liked it or could trust it, but something deep down told her that it was sincere and real.

Olivia puts her hand down over her blanket but she's a little thrown off when her fingers make contact with a piece of material that wasn't there before and didn't match the fabric of the blanket. She sits up and gasps when she sees that the piece of material is in fact a pair of boxers—Fitz's boxers. She whips her head in Maya's direction and even though her face is turned the other way, she can just hear the smile in her mother's voice as she says, "Just be thankful that I found them and your father didn't, or else tonight's dinner could've been considerably worse."

Olivia wanted to ask how her mother had managed to snag them in the first place since, a) Fitz had taken them off _inside_ the bedroom and b) Olivia had been pretty closely watching Maya when she came in and greeted her that morning, which made her wonder if Maya had found them at a later time. But her mother had already closed the door and was gone, leaving Olivia alone and wide awake with her thoughts and questions.

**Well this was a long one…so question time! Lots of questions! Who do you think stabbed Sandy and why? What do you think of Stephen and Sandy's situation with their parents and how it correlates to Fitz's? Why do you think the thought of Fitz's mom affects him so deeply? What did you think of the dinner? Eli? Fitz's declaration of love for Liv? Who do you think that was walking on the street? The conversation between Liv and Maya? And last but definitely not least, the boxers? Lol. Other thoughts? Is that enough questions for you? Thanks for reading!**


	14. Don't Look Back

**Chapter 14: Don't Look Back**

After spending a good hour at the beach the night before, Fitz came home and spent almost the whole night looking at different colleges online. He found that his best bet was community college and a few select art schools because he had missed the application deadlines for the majority of universities and out of the ones that he could still apply for, none of them were anywhere near Yale.

He had finally drifted off to sleep in the wee hours of the morning but he had been so tired that he slept through his alarm clock so Nancy had to wake him up for work. And even though Fitz was finishing off his work day a few hours early by running an errand for Jason, he was completely exhausted. The sky was greying, hinting at another stormy afternoon and Fitz just hoped he could get home before the rain began to fall.

He drives down the street of a residential area and makes a sharp turn into the small neighborhood where he would be delivering at when he sees two tiny white packets seep through a hole of the larger package that had contained them.

"Crap," Fitz says, veering off onto the side of the road and stopping the car. He picks up the packets and examines them, squeezing the bag and feeling his heart nearly stop when he realizes the bag is clear and the white color is due to the powdery content.

Olivia had even specifically warned him about Jason being a drug-dealer but he had either been too stupid to realize what was going on or he refused to believe it—though deep down Fitz knew it was the latter. He liked his job and the people he worked with and even though he was sketchy, Fitz hadn't thought Jason was a bad guy. But now that his suspicions were confirmed, Fitz was mad—and scared—as hell.

He struggles to keep his hands from trembling and looks around the empty street, like someone was about to come out of nowhere and catch him red-handed. _I'm such an idiot_, he scolds himself. Even if he told the truth, no one, particularly the cops, would ever believe him, especially with his record of delinquency.

He sits back into the driver's seat and stares out the window, wondering what he would do now. He didn't have it in him to just deliver the package, not after this. It felt like he'd be adding one more crime to the bucket load he already had. And he couldn't just confront Jason and promise not to squeal. He'd probably get fired—or worse. He knew how guys like Jason worked—the connections they had and the lengths they would go to protect their business and he didn't want to screw with that. Going to Jason with this was out of the question—as well as going to the cops. Fitz didn't want to be a snitch, he just wanted out of this operation. _But what about Huck?_

Huck wouldn't squeal on Fitz if Fitz confided in him, would he? They had spent so much time together and become pretty good friends and he seemed like an overall decent guy. Maybe he'd know what to do. He at least deserved to know what was going on—if he didn't already know. He had to give it a shot.

He stuffs the two little packs of coke into the larger package and hides them in his glove compartment. He then starts his car again, makes a U-turn, and heads back the way he came, back to the shop.

Jason's car was still gone but Fitz could see Huck in the back, working on a motorcycle. Fitz sucks in a huge, anxious breath and gets out of his car, slowly approaching the entrance to the shop, but when he remembers that Jason can come back at any time, he speeds up his pace.

Huck looks up at the sound of bells above the entrance, chiming as Fitz opens the door. "Hey, how'd it go?"

"Uh…can we talk?"

Huck immediately freezes at the look on Fitz's face. "What's wrong?"

"I-I couldn't deliver the package…"

"Why not?"

"I need to tell you something. Turn the music up a little louder," Fitz says, gesturing for Huck to follow him deeper into the back room.

"Why? What's going on, Fitz?"

"I don't want anyone to hear us." Fitz stops by a wooden shelf loaded with tools and takes one, fingering it casually and trying to look indifferent so that in case Jason walked in.

Huck turns up the Journey song that was playing and says, "Start talking."

Fitz sighs deeply. "I found something, man. It's pretty bad…"

Huck motions for Fitz to keep talking so he continues, "Jason is into some pretty nefarious crap—crap that neither you or I want to be involved in."

A shadow falls over Huck's face as he says evenly, "What our boss is _into_ is none of my business—or yours."

Fitz narrows his eyes at Huck, suspecting that he sounded a little off too. "Well, it should be! We could get in serious trouble if we get caught with this stuff, Huck. I didn't sign up for this when I took this job. I just wanted to work on cars and make a little money—that's all. Isn't that what you want, too?"

Huck chuckles but Fitz knows it isn't humorous as he says in a low voice, "I have a mother, a father, two grandparents, three sisters, and two brothers at home—none of who have jobs. Working on cars alone pays just a little over minimum wage. I'd be lucky to be able to pay off my gas bill and rent money for the house. But delivering these packages...just the money I make from the tips, not including what Jason pays me on the side for it, is enough to pay off most my bills. I'm not like you, making a little money on the side so that you can go take your girlfriend out on dates while your rent is already paid and you have food waiting for you at home. I use the money I earn to support my family. This isn't just a summer job to me, this is…my life," Huck finishes and a look of despair that Fitz had never seen before falls upon his face.

Fitz is left speechless, torn between condemning Huck for going along with the sham and consoling him. After a few moments, Huck shakes his head. "I'm not proud of the fact that this is the way I have to make money but what I _am_ proud of is that I can take care of my family—and that's all that matters."

Fitz stutters as he says, "I-I don't know what to do."

"What you _need_ to do is act like this conversation never happened, get out there, and deliver that package before Jason comes back or the customer gets suspicious," Huck tells him, ready to walk away.

Fitz shakes his head and says slowly, fearing what could come next, "I don't think I can."

Huck raises his eyebrows at Fitz and crosses his arms over his chest but not in a particularly threatening way. "Well, then, we have a problem."

"How can you expect me to do this?" Fitz asks earnestly, but immediately regrets it when he thinks about what Huck said about his family.

"Just stop being a bitch about it. You're not even delivering as many packages as I do. I spend my Saturdays doing this. You're telling me you can't handle it a few times a week?"

Fitz shrugs. "I guess I can't…"

Huck stares at Fitz for a moment, looking like a disappointed parent or mentor before groaning and asking, "Where's the package?"

"It's in my car. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to deliver it since you suddenly can't handle the task," Huck says irritably, starting towards the front.

Fitz jogs up to him, blocking his path. "Wait! What are you…I mean, are you going to—"

"Tell Jason about this?" Huck guess and Fitz nods slowly. "No—not this time. But you're going to have to make up your mind eventually. You're either in or out, Fitz. And I don't mean that just with the packages. As much as I'd love to collect tips for your deliveries, too, it's not going to work if Jason specifically tells you to go make a run and he'll know something's up if you start acting weird about it. So, you either decide to get with the program or you quit. If you do quit, I won't tell anyone why as long as you keep your mouth shut as to why as well—and when I say keep your mouth shut, I mean don't tell a single soul," Huck says, and Fitz knows by the look in his eyes that he means his family, and even more so Olivia who he told pretty much everything. He would never forgive himself if danger came to any of them because of this. As much as he loved the repair part of the job, it wasn't worth it if the people he cared about the most in the world might end up hurt in the process.

"Fine—then I quit."

Huck nods calmly, unsurprised by his decision but visibly disappointed. "You have a good reason?"

"Tell him…the work was too strenuous and I injured myself so I'm doing something else." They both knew that Huck was the better liar of the two and that if Fitz had to tell Jason himself why he quit, he just might crack.

"Can you play that down?"

Fitz nods. "Yes."

"Alright. Now give me the package and get out of here before he gets back because I won't be able to save your ass if that happens."

* * *

When Fitz got home, he grabbed a bottle of water, headed to his room and called Stephen to see how he was holding up but also to take his mind off of what he had just dealt with. It was handled—he wouldn't ever have to deliver a 'package' ever again and Huck wouldn't snitch on him. It was over—there was no reason to worry.

He was lying on his bed, staring out his window at the stormy mess that was raging outside. There was something strangely peaceful and mesmerizing about the scenery, like a thousand years could pass and he wouldn't even realize it. But maybe what also captivated Fitz about the downpour outside was that it in a way matched the current state of his mind.

He sighs and is about to reach for his sketch pad to draw out his feelings when his phone rings.

He smiles at the caller ID as the image calms his nerves. "Hi, Livvie," he answers.

"Hey, babe. I was wondering if you wanted to come over. I know it's raining and you probably want to stay home but I was thinking that, if you're up for it, we could have some fun in the treehouse…" she says seductively in that sweet voice of hers. He feels his dick twitch in his pants but when he glances back outside, he has second thoughts.

He groans in frustration. "I don't know, Liv…"

"My parents aren't home—and they won't be back for several hours." That's all Fitz needed to hear before he was putting his jacket and shoes on, grabbing his keys, and rushing out into the rain with hardly any explanation to Nancy. And by the end of the next half hour, he and Olivia were on the floor of her treehouse, naked, and out of breath from a long and hot love-making session.

"That was amazing," Fitz says with a satisfied smile on his face. This was the fourth time they had had sex and the experience only continued to get increasingly better, along with Olivia's appetite for him.

She climbs on top of him and presses her lips to his neck and trails kisses down to his chest. She stops with one slow and wet kiss before looking back up at him with a huge grin. "I want to go again but this time can I be on top?" She asks, looking up at him like she was asking if she could go on a carnival ride—though, in a way, it would be a ride of sorts.

He smirks back at her and nods. He places his hands on her hips, helping her get into position as she adjusts herself on top of his manhood and she rides him with all the tenacity she has in her as he urges her on. All Fitz felt was pleasure in that moment and looking up at her, watching her face contort in that way it did whenever she was close to coming made him forget any and all worries he had.

With one final thrust, she collapses on top of him, out of breath and stamina, but appearing fully content and satisfied. She pulls off of him and rolls over onto his other side. "I could do this all day."

"We might not be able to do that. But we can definitely do it for the next few hours," he says, pecking her cheek.

She smiles and sits up. "Are you hungry? I brought some snacks."

"Actually, yeah, I am," Fitz says, realizing that he hadn't really had any lunch. As she takes the food out of a bag she brought up, Fitz gets up and puts on his sweatpants, feeling a chill run over his body even though the weather wasn't quite cold and completely closes the window that was slightly propped open, stopping the droplets off water that were trickling in. He turns back to see that Olivia putting her panties back on and his jacket, which was so huge on her that it nearly swallowed up her whole body. But he couldn't deny how cute and extremely sexy she looked in it, especially since she hadn't zipped it up, and one or both of her breasts would poke out depending on how she shifted.

He sits back down next to her and he figures that she must've read his mind as she offers a large glass bottle to him since he was thirsty. He takes it in his hands and asks, "Wine?"

She shakes her head and smiles with the edge of her mouth. "Apple cider."

He smirks. "Even better." He takes a long big chug then hands the bottle back to her and she does the same. She sets the food off to the side of him—it was mostly fruit and crackers but it was enough to satisfy his hunger for now.

"So…I wanted to talk to you about something," he says leaning back against the cool, wooden log wall and running his hand gently across her thigh as she leans back into him.

"Yeah?" She asks, a hint of worry in her voice.

He kisses the back of her neck soothingly. "It's not a big deal, I just wanted you to know that I'm starting to look at different universities and schools. I want to go to college soon…maybe even this fall."

She's quiet for a good few seconds before saying, "This isn't because of what my father said, is it? Because no one's pressuring you to do anything, Fitz…"

"Yeah, I know that, but I need to get my life on track and I think getting a little more education is a good start to doing that—do you think it's a bad idea?" He asks, trying not to succumb to the wave of doubt that was threatening to take over.

She faces him, making eye contact. "No, no, I think it's a great idea. I love that you want to push forward and take that route, as long as you're doing it for the right reasons. Not because of what my parents said or what they think, not because you feel like you'll never be enough in their eyes if you don't but because you really want to."

"I do. I'm doing this for me," he assures her and she nods with a grin. "Then I'm glad. And it _is_ a big deal"

He smiles back at her as she asks, "So, what have you found so far?"

"There are a few art schools I'm interested in, but I think my best bet would be to try community college—that way I can get a more well-balanced education and I can be closer to you, too. There are a few good ones in New Haven."

"You could do that. You can start out at community and then transfer in two years…maybe to Yale," she says with a hopeful smile.

He chuckles. "Yeah, God-willing…" He sighs. "I've never been really been all that academically-inclined. It's already stressing me out and I haven't even started."

"I know, but if you put your mind to it you can do it. You're a fighter, Fitz, you can handle it. And I'll be with you every step of the way. We'll help each other."

"I doubt you'll need my help, Ms. Smartypants," he jokes.

She shakes her head. "Have you seen me draw or paint or do anything artistic? Remember when I tried to draw a stick figure of you and you ended up looking like a muppet?"

He laughs. "Yeah, it was pretty terrible…"

She elbows him. "So, I was thinking, you could help me with my artsy humanities courses and I could help you with your science courses. We could tutor each other."

He nods. "Deal."

They kiss on it and then lay back down, listening to the wild but therapeutic sounds of raindrops outside. Olivia's breathing is slow and even against him with her heart beating in a constant rhythm with his, and Fitz thought that she had drifted off to sleep for a few minutes until he suddenly heard hears her say, "Let's run away."

"What?" He asks, thinking he misheard her.

She looks up at him with a soft but devious smile. "Run away with me—for a few days."

He hardly hesitates before saying, "Okay. Where are we going?"

She shrugs. "Anywhere—anywhere we want, like…New York," she exclaims, her eyes lighting up in wonder. "Let's just drive and not look back. For a few days, let's not be Olivia, the brilliant girl who got into Yale, and Fitz, the boy stressed and worried about the future. Let's just be Olivia and Fitz. Let's just be…"

"I've never been to New York before," he says dreamily.

"Then let's go. Let's spend your birthday in the city."

He laughs nervously. "So, we just take off? How long will we be gone for?"

"Three, maybe four days. We can be back by Sunday," she tells him, but a look of uncertain comes over her face. "Well, unless it'll interfere too much with work."

He tenses up at the thought of work and the interaction he had with Huck that afternoon. He couldn't tell Olivia what happened but he could still tell her some of the truth. "Actually…I quit today," he says coolly, like he was just mentioning the weather.

She cocks an eyebrow in surprise. "Why?"

He shrugs. "It just…wasn't for me. I stopped enjoying working there," he explains simply.

She looks at him apologetically. "Oh. Do you want to talk about it?"

He shakes his head and smiles reassuringly at her. "Nah, I much rather talk about New York. That's a lot more interesting than some dusty, grimy auto-repair shop. Let's see—I can tell my aunt that I'm staying at Stephen's or Charlie's for some miscellaneous reason. I don't think she'll mind too much as long as I call periodically."

Olivia nods. "Abby left today for a camping trip she goes on with her family every summer…but my parents don't know that. I'll say I decided to go with them this year—we can leave tomorrow. That actually gives us five days if we get back late on Sunday."

"Then let's do it. Let's go on a road trip." She smiles back at him and then goes back to laying her head on his chest and staring out the window.

"You know this is a little crazy, right?" he says after a while.

"When did you become the rational one?" She asks simply, making him chuckle. "I just wanted to do something spontaneous. I really never get the chance…" She says, and listening closely, he could hear the hint of sadness in her voice. He used to envy the fact that she had everything in her life laid out for her and that if she just followed the pre-destined path, everything would work out. But lately he had realized that one of the things that makes life worth living are the things done a whim—the things that aren't planned out—but people like Olivia—people with _parents_ like Olivia's didn't always have that luxury. So, he doesn't object or question her any further. He just wraps his arms around her, balances his chin on top of her head, and closes his eyes, imagining all the places they'll see and go to.

**So, Olitz is leaving for the road…ideas on how that will go? How about things with Huck and Jason? Other thoughts? Thanks for reading!**


	15. Why Georgia

**Chapter 15: Why Georgia**

"So, what's our first stop?" Fitz asks Olivia as they make their way down I-95 at eight o' clock that morning. Fitz was driving while Olivia sat in the passenger's seat, trying to give him directions to their first stop.

"Well, there's Fort Matanzas which is a national monument built by the Spanish in 1742—it sounds cool. Oh, and there's also the Fountain of Youth. They're both in St. Augustine and about four and a half hours away. We could see them both," she suggests.

Between the two of them, they had about $500—part of which came from savings Olivia made from her summer jobs and the rest of which Fitz had saved for date money. They wouldn't be able to go on any elaborate dates any time soon, but they were both fine with it, seeing as how they'd get to spend time in a different state each day. Almost half of the money was going to gas but they had packed loads of food, mostly nonperishables so that they wouldn't have to spend much eating out and if they stayed at a few cheap hotels or motels, they might just have some money left over.

"Sounds like good," Fitz says, so they spend the next four and a half hours in the car, cruising down the highway in light traffic, munching on snacks, and singing at the top of their lungs with the windows down.

"I can't feel my face when I'm with you but I love it, but I love it, oh, I can't feel my face when I'm with you but I love it, but I love it, oh," he sings to her, keeping one eye on the road. He was totally out of tune and he sounded like a dying cat, making it hard for Olivia not to erupt in laughter, but she loved every bit of his little performance, and couldn't help but sing along with him. And even though she thought she probably looked like something out of a horror movie with her flying wildly around her face, he still looked at her like she was the most beautiful girl in the world.

Once the song ends, she tells him, "Thank you for that performance. It was truly amazing."

He beams. "I know, right. I should start charging for these little concerts I'm giving you."

"Oh, I'm sure I can think of a way to pay you back," she says suggestively, pecking his cheek.

They arrive in St. Augustine at 12:30 sharp and catch the ferry to Fort Matanzas. Olivia and Fitz sit on the cobblestone edge of the fortress, they listen sparingly to the tour guide's words with the majority of their attention being given to the vast, blue view of the ocean before then. Olivia had lived by the sea her whole life but there was something about this scene, maybe the fact so much history had taken place at this site and that made unlike any other place she'd ever been, that captivated her.

"It's beautiful," she says to Fitz who sits by her.

"It is," he agrees, looking just as mesmerized. After a while, he looks down at his phone and gets up from the bench. "Let me take a picture of you."

She smiles and poses and when he's done she tells him to switch so that she can snap pictures of him. They also take a few selfies together in front of the ocean and just as Olivia wishes someone would take a full body photo of them, an elderly woman comes to their aid. "You two are a beautiful couple. I'll take a picture of you guys if you want."

"Thank you," Fitz and Olivia both say as Fitz hands the lady his phone and then puts his arm around Olivia's waist as they pose together. When she's done, Olivia and Fitz flip through the photos and Olivia stops at one, she found hilarious, though Fitz begged to differ. She was smiling normally but he had this goofy almost uncomfortable grin on his face and his eyes were squinted.

"There was a glare in my eye," he tells her.

"Fitz, you don't have to explain. I love it."

He looks at her skeptically but he disregards the photo as they stop on another one. It was one of those pictures that you can't stop staring at because it's just too perfect. The angling was just right, the sky was cloudless above, there wasn't a single ripple in the water behind them, and most of all, the way they looked with each other, beyond content in each other's arms made the picture priceless.

Olivia thought back to what the elderly woman had said about she and Fitz being a beautiful couple. To most people, it might be just a little compliment that would go over their heads, but to her it meant everything. She knew that being in an interracial relationship might be a little challenging, especially since she and Fitz weren't really of the same economic class, but with all the crap she'd been getting from her Harrison, Mellie, and her parents, mostly her father, somedays it was really difficult. But for Fitz, she was willing to stick it out, and the fact that someone who she hardly knew could see that what they had was real and beautiful was something she didn't and would never take lightly.

After their tour of Fort Matanzas, they head over to the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. They find it anticlimactic to see that the actual Fountain is just a small hole in the ground but nevertheless, they take a ton of pictures.

Once they're done at the Park, in the early afternoon, they say goodbye to Florida and head into Georgia. They decide to spend the night in Savannah at a hotel for about $50. After dropping off their stuff, they head out into the historic town, excited to explore it the next day as soon as the sun rises.

Fitz spots a restaurant that serves food South African style and even though they weren't supposed to be spending much money on food, they both give into the temptation, they agree that it was worth it as they spend the evening dining on delicious Portobello sandwiches, which were a nice break from the cookies and crackers they had munched on all day.

Once they get back to the hotel, both of them are too exhausted to mess around, especially Fitz who had done all the driving for that day. They strip down to their underwear, climb into bed, and silently lay in each other's arms until Olivia sluggishly says, "I should wrap my hair…but I don't feel like getting up."

"Let me guess, you want me to get your head scarf," Fitz says with a knowing smile.

She smiles back, running her fingers along his chest and shakes her head. "I'll get it but maybe I should braid it. Do you know how to braid?" She asks him, turning to face him but then she feels a little guilty. "I'm sorry, I'm treating you like a total girl right now."

But she's surprised by his response. "It's fine, Livvie, and actually I can braid a little."

"Seriously? Can you do cornrows? I can start you off."

"Sure." She starts with a large strand and then lets him finish off and they repeat this five more times until her hair is totally braided.

"So, how'd I do?" Fitz asks as she looks at herself with her phone in selfie mode and gasps at the final product.

Fitz holds up his hands in defense. "Hey, I did warn you. I said I could braid _a little_."

"Babe, it's great! You should know by now that you're pretty great with your hands."

"Wait, you like it?" He asks, looking confused.

"I love it," she tells him, kissing his jawline.

He smiles. "Good. You look gorgeous."

"Thank you," she says happily. "So, what do you want to do tomorrow for your birthday, mister?"

He shrugs. "Anything, really. This is probably going to be the grandest birthday I've ever had with this road trip and everything. But most of all, I can't believe that I'm really turning 18—and just a week before you, too," he says with a smirk.

"I know. At least it makes it easier to remember each other's birthdays." Olivia stops as she realizes the fact that it would only be the two of them celebrating his birthday together.

"What is it?"

She looks away from him. "I just…I'm sorry. Your family probably wanted to spend tomorrow with you."

"My aunt is working late tomorrow. At the most we probably would've just had dinner together and a pastry. I can always celebrate with them later. But I'm glad to be here, in a different city, in a different town…with you," he says, tipping her chin up until they're making eye contact. "I meant that, okay?"

She nods and smiles. "I can't wait for you to see what I got you."

"You already got me something?"

"Yeah…a while ago actually. You're going to love it," she swears.

"Well, we're about two hours away from midnight so—"

"Nice try, mister, but you're going have to wait until the first second of midnight before you even get a peek at what I got you," she tells him.

He frowns, giving her his best pouty face and he was totally convincing, making it harder for her to say no but suddenly a mischievous smile spreads across his face. "Does this gift come with any other special benefits or surprises…preferably involving something with my sexy hot girlfriend?" He asks, sliding his hand higher up her thigh.

She bites her lip, suppressing a moan and manages to whisper back, "You're just going to have to wait and see." She pulls his hand away from her, knowing she wouldn't be able to control herself if he went any further and he gives her a smug smile in return, folding his hands behind his head. "Well, I think I really have something to look forward to."

She chuckles as she leans up against his chest but looks up when another idea occurs to her. "So, how about your parents? Are they going to come and visit or anything? I'd love to meet them." Olivia suddenly realizes that she really doesn't know much about Fitz's parents even though he knew quite enough about hers. For some reason, it had just been a topic they hadn't discussed much and when they did discuss his parents, specifically his dad, Fitz never really had much good to say. That had that in common.

He shakes his head. "My dad's pretty much always busy. I doubt he even remembers my birthday is tomorrow."

"How about your mom?" _Had he even talked about his mom before?_ Olivia wonders, trying to recall a memory that wasn't there.

He unfolds his hands and brings them down to his sides. For a few seconds, she can sense him growing tense, that is until he smiles back at her and grabs the back of her thighs, pulling her onto him in a straddling position.

"I really don't want to talk about my parents right now…" he says deeply into her ear before pressing his lips to her neck.

She releases a moan at the sensation as he moves down to her collarbone but her attention still isn't so easily swayed. She pushes him back slightly. "Wait, you didn't answer my question."

"Maybe that's because I don't _want_ to answer it," he mumbles, his tone sounding half sensual and half a little angry. He presses his lips to hers, shutting her up effectively and pushes her down onto the other end of the bed, hovering over her.

She sloppily disconnects the kiss, pushing him back again. "Mmm..Fitz, hold on, can we just—"

"What?" He finally says, his voice harsh but emotional as he sits up. "Why do you want to know so badly?"

"Because I think you're hiding something. It may not be my business necessarily but—"

"No, it's not—"

"But you're obviously bothered or in pain because of it and you're my boyfriend—I love you and I want to help."

He shakes his head at her, his anger now replaced by what looked like utter hopelessness. "There's nothing you can do to help. You can't…fix this," he says, almost to himself for a moment before looking back up at her. "I don't talk about my parents. Yeah, I may have mentioned my dad a few times but only to make a point about something. They aren't a big part of my life. I don't talk about them and…I'm keeping it that way."

She stares back at him as he holds a resolute expression on his face, telling her this conversation was over and since she could also see that pushing him further would do more harm than good, she decides to leave it alone—for now. "Okay."

He sighs as he takes her hands and gently pulls her back to the head of the bed, throwing the covers over them and pulling her into him. "Let's just go to bed."

He turns off the lamp on the bed stand, letting the room be engulfed in darkness except for the streetlights that managed to shine their way into the room, and he hugs her from behind, making her the little spoon. He softly kisses the back of her neck and whispers, "Don't worry about me, Livvie. I'm fine."

She sighs, wanting to ask him how he expected her not to do that. He was pretty much the most important person in the world to her and seeing him like this, burying his pain, hurt her too. But all she says is, "Goodnight, Fitz," and eventually finds it within herself to fall asleep.

IiIiIiIiI

The following morning Olivia wakes up around 9, draped in sheets but she still feels a chill when she discovers that Fitz isn't in the bed. She sits up and is surprised to see that he's not even in the room but his bag was open, like he had rummaged through it for clothes. She reaches for her phone and calms down when she sees the text message: Went to go get some gas. Brb.

She puts some clothes on and decides to head down to the hotel restaurant to get some breakfast for them. She remembered a sign that said there was free breakfast until ten so she wasn't going to miss that opportunity.

She takes the elevator down to the first floor, wondering how Fitz would act this morning. It wasn't like they'd had a real fight the night before but they had gone to bed on a tense note and now she felt a little guilty for butting in. His problems with his parents weren't any of her business and she wasn't going to push him to talk about them if he wasn't ready.

She plans on telling him this when he gets back but what she didn't expect was to see him standing in front of her when the elevator doors opened—looking worried.

"What is it?" She asks, stepping onto the first floor.

He takes her hand and guides her over to a bench quietly but his silence was making her panic more and more by the second. "Fitz, what's wrong?"

"I just thought you should sit down for this…when I went out to get the gas this morning, I couldn't find my wallet anywhere. I searched all over the car, I came back and searched through the bags but it's just gone. Then I remembered that we had it last when we went to that sandwich place last night so I went back there and…"

"Yeah?" She asks, dreading the answer she knew was coming.

"It wasn't there. I mean I asked the lady who served us last night but she said she nor her co-workers had seen it. They could be lying but I don't think so…almost all of our money was in there…Luckily I had my license in my pocket but still. This sucks," He says, shaking his head. "I'm such an idiot! I should've just taken what we needed with us to restaurant and left the rest in the car."

"Fitz, it's okay," she says, squeezing his hand.

"No, it's not. There's no way we're getting it back."

"We'll just…go back home. There's nothing else we can really do," Olivia tells him, regretting even think of going on this trip.

"We can't even do that. We don't have enough money to make it back."

"How much do we have left?" Olivia asks fearfully.

"Twenty bucks."

**So Olitz is in a tough situation…what happens next? What do you think of their trip so far? Oh, and what did you guys think of the new hot and steamy season 5 trailer? :D I didn't finish season 4 because imo it started getting just too ridiculous but I just might start watching again if Olitz will be together. Anyway, leave reviews for me. Thanks for reading!**


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